The team behind the forthcoming relaunch of APB: Reloaded has set up shop in central Edinburgh (in the former VIS offices we hear).  Reloaded Productions is headed by Michael Boniface, who worked on the game as part of the team at Realtime Worlds.

APB was acquired by Gamesfirst.com in early 2011 and is being remodelled into a free-to-play game, while keeping much of the original game’s customisation and open-ended nature.

There are around 22 employees working on the game and it’s due for release ‘fairly shortly‘.

Tag Games MD Paul Farley took a break from the madness of GDC earlier this week to link to footage from the sequel to the company’s 2009 hit, Car Jack Streets.

Showing a high speed chase through city streets and countryside, the game is a step away from the 2-dimensional design of the original, showing a cartoony, flat-shaded 3D environment, which combines the delights of GTA with the simplicity of Lego.

There are no details on whether this is in-game footage, or a specific release date, outside ‘Summer 2011′. We’ll try to pin Tag down in the near future. In the meantime, however, enjoy the trailer…

YoYo Games has not been resting on it’s laurels at the start of 2011.  Following a busy release schedule in 2010, the company has just announced two new games for the iPhone/iPad…

Prison Ball is a brand new twist on the classic ‘block breaker’ type game, set in the depths of a state penitentiary(?)  Offering 140 levels and multiple power-ups and Game Center support, the game will also be coming to other platforms including Android and PSP in the near future.

Karoshi on the other hand is a bleak meditation on the pointlessness of life as you guide your tiny Japanese salaryman to numerous grisly ends and help him to escape the grim mundanity of the everyday grind.  From the maker of They Need To Be Fed, Karoshi offers 50 levels of top-tastic entertainment.

Finally, YoYo is looking for an experienced Game Maker programmer to join their team in Dundee.

According to YoYo applicants should meet the following criteria…

Requirements

• Must have a deep technical understanding of Game Maker, particularly GML script
• Good communication skills
• Fluent English speaking
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Aged 18 or over
• Must be able to work in the UK
• Must be able to relocate to Dundee, Scotland

Preferences

• Basic knowledge of using art packages e.g. Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Paint.Net, GIMP, etc…
• Good understanding of Game Design
• Ability to use Audio packages e.g. SoundForge, Goldwave, etc…

If you’re interested, get in touch.

This week’s subtly menacing Scottishgames banner comes from Mr Jon Gill, the brains behind Superfly – the Dundee-based project which puts art on the streets – and more recently organised and ran the NEoN Knights competition.

Using artwork from NEoN Knights, including a presumably live QR code, the week’s banner reflects the ‘epic quest’ nature of the games business (we’re claiming).  It’s stark, brutal and relevant.

We’d like to thank Jon very kindly for his work and it will be going up in the Hall o’ Fame at the end of this week.

In the meantime, feel free to tell us what YOU think of this week’s banner and feel free to submit your own, or ask a talented chum to do likewise…