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Nicholas Lovell
Home   >   Analysis and Opinion   >   Analysis   >   APB has 130,000 registered players, says administrator

APB has 130,000 registered players, says administrator

By on August 24, 2010

The administrator for RealTime Worlds has announced some key stats for APB

  • 130,000 registered players
  • Average player plays for four hours each day
  • ARPPU of $28 (that’s per PAYING player, no word of conversion rates)

My post-mortem carried an oft-quoted figure of 10,000 units sold. That was NPD data for North America only, which means it only captured hard copy sales in the US and Canada. i had undestood the total figure to be nearer 100,000, and now it has been confirmed at 130,000. The ARPPU is very impressive, and confirms that hardcore gamers are prepared to spend lots on their hobby. ARPU is, of course, the more interesting figure.

I’m intrigued to see (and hear from other sources) how much of APB’s sales were driven by digital downloads. It makes sense, given the nature of the game, but it’s another nail in the coffin of retail.

Assuming that after the retail margin, EA and RTW get $20 per unit, that’s retail revenues of $2.6 million. Assuming that 10% of players are paying each month (and that feels like a generous assumption to me) RTW is generating $28 x 130,000 x 10% = $364,000 a month, and assuming nothing changes, that’s $4.3 million a year.

It makes me think that, now that the investors have been wiped out, there *might* be a business here. Could you run APB’s infrastructure and continued development for $4.3 million a year? Let me know in the comments.

And of course, if you’re really serious, contact Les Able at Begbies Traynor on 07624 498355.

 

The full press release is below.

 

DUNDEE, Scotland — Tuesday, 24th August 2010— Realtime Worlds in administration has released playing figures today for the first time while negotiations continue to secure a sale for the British publisher of APB: All Points Bulletin.

The figures reveal 130,000 registered players, with the average player playing for 4 hours each day, APB’s unique business model sees paying players averaging $28 per month, a combination of game time and user to user marketplace trading.

Joint administrator Paul Dounis, of business rescue and restructuring specialist Begbies Traynor commented “These are healthy numbers and reflect positively on APB as a ongoing concern. They prove this is a very enjoyable game, which is shown by the average player daily playtime and an ARPPU (Average Revenue per Paying User) that is highest of any game out there”

-ends-

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About Nicholas Lovell

Nicholas is the founder of Gamesbrief, a blog dedicated to the business of games. It aims to be informative, authoritative and above all helpful to developers grappling with business strategy. He is the author of a growing list of books about making money in the games industry and other digital media, including How to Publish a Game and Design Rules for Free-to-Play Games, and Penguin-published title The Curve: thecurveonline.com