Bjorn Book-Larsson from Gamersfirst talks about the UK Studio and their approach on combating the cheaters in upcoming re-release of APB.

The talent we have been able to find in the UK and have been contracting with has been really great, so our next step is now to set up a new game studio in the UK in February 2011. Right now we are just debating WHERE to put such a studio as an extension to our US operation. The clear front-runners at the moment appear to be Edinburgh (near Weaverly Station which would put us right next to Rockstar North of all companies) or Cambridge (near JagEx and others). Other options include Dundee, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester or London/Guildford. Each of these offer various advantages (and in some cases various incentives), and we are spending the next four weeks determining the right location both for us and our staff. I will keep this blog updated with our progress as we evaluate all our options (and I might even invite people to make suggestions) before we pull the trigger.

Hackers and Cheaters

Now on to the main issue this week. Hackers and Cheaters. This is a tricky topic to talk about in anything except “hushed tones” and using code-words and only partial information. But I will give it a shot, so that during the rest of the relaunch process we have a basic framework for the discussion when the topic comes back up again.

First off, let me define two separate terms; we usually refer to people that do bad things in-game as cheaters, spammers or griefers. We really try hard not calling them “hackers” – only because hackers tend to connote much more sinister stuff like DDoS and Malware attacks. But sometimes we slip, and we call the cheaters “hackers.” But I digress.

Read more: http://apbreloaded.blogspot.com/