Well, f@#k me in the wallet.

Hindsight is 20/20, they say. When I first started playing the game APB, I knew the game posed no threat to console multiplayer or World of Warcraft. APB is a massively multiplayer online game in which players assume the role of cops or robbers, and go fight the others. Great idea in theory, but it was evident from the get go that it had its issues and a limited audience.

Rather than the conventional $10-$15 a month MMO subscription plan, you buy hours of play time, 50 of which were included with the initial purchase. I spent the $50 on pre-order and played a few hours in the first couple of days of the game. Not a horrible game and it felt like the subscriber base was mostly guys in their 20's who were a lot of fun to play with. Real Life got crazy and I never went back to play. I kept saying that I would get back into the game but for whatever reason it just never happened.

I have probably 45 of my initial 50 hours left so I decided to go back in and play tonight.

The game won't patch, won't launch. Tried a couple of things then I opened my eyes and actually looked at the Steam page for APB.

Today, Realtime Worlds announced they were pulling the plug. The article states that RTW didn't say when it would happen, but the patch server is offline - after it checks for a patch, the game launches.

A few hours after the announcement (and less than 3 months after the game's launch) the fat lady has sung. The game's life span was shorter than most celebrities' marriages.

I can't fully lament losing $50, because I did play the game for a few hours. But I certainly didn't get $50 worth of play time. Oh well - on a side note, I still have City of Heroes to consume my soul.