All Points Bulletin announced minutes ago that it will be available in the US on June 29th and in Europe on July 1st. England gets its release on July 2nd. APB has been giving beta keys away this past week on Twitter and has now just dropped this bombshell. With just a couple months before release, what other bits of news could be coming our way?

This is big news for anyone who's a fan of MMOs, competitive, team-based multiplayer or Grand Theft Auto. APB's creator, Dave Jones, created the original Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown and APB is kind of like a Grand Theft Auto MMO with unbelievable customization. It also gives players the ability to form their own gangs and align with criminals or the law. June 29th can't come soon enough.

APB is giving away beta keys via Twitter, and all you have to do to earn one is tweet why you want to play. Just give a short statement on why you think want one, remembering to use #APB in your Twitter post. Every day this week they'll choose their favorite one to give the key too.

And remember, this isn't a job interview, so just post a fun reason and you could win a key. Yesterday, @mkvlln won by telling them, "Cuz I'll end up in jail if I start killing IRL." See, you don't have to be a world beater to win.

APB has a new video based, urban looking website that will get your blood pumping regardless of which game genre you're into. Each feature of the game, including vehicles, weapons and crew, is showcased by videos; gritty, stylized and action-packed enough to make Guy Ritchie give Michael Bay a high-five.

Among the most impressive items is the Style tab, which shows too fairly ordinary-looking characters walking toward each other.  As they get closer, their clothes, hair and tattoos begin to change, with each incarnation more extreme and unique than the one before. A mild-mannered young woman is transformed into a mohawked killing machine in a matter of seconds. It really shows off the depth of customization and creativity in APB. I mean, when was the last time you wished you could actually wear something your character owns? (Cosplayers, I'm not talking to you.) If you liked the leveled up versions of the Agents in Real Time World's Crackdown, you will love this.

There's also a scrolling gun rack and a video that will make you lust for the infinitely customizable cars, even if you've never picked up a racing game before. Enough talking, you just really need to go check it out for yourself.

GameSpot has taken a close look at the earnings report Electronic Arts issued yesterday, and they noticed that All Points Bulletin has been pushed back to launch sometime between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2010. It looks like we're going to have to wait a little longer to play this urban MMO that will appeal to Grand Theft Auto fans.

In case you were curious, Electronic Arts reported an $82 million loss for the October-December quarter of 2009. Also, a game called "Dragon Age Title TBA" is scheduled to launch between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2011 for consoles, handhelds and PC. A portable Dragon Age? That could be interesting. There's no details on whether it will be a sequel or major expansion.

Realtime Worlds just published the first All Points Bulletin video podcast of 2010, and it focuses solely on the game's music editor. Senior Sound Designer Stuart Ross demonstrates how players can create songs and themes using the music studio in APB:

"Themes are short, five-second pieces of music which are applied to your character and played back in-game, and songs are longer pieces of music which you can export from the music tool into your track list, and you can then play them back from your car."

Themes and songs are freely tradable on the marketplace in APB, which means you could make a song for other players to purchase. Check out the full podcast after the jump.

The 15th episode of the All Points Bulletin video podcast has been released, and this one features Lead Designer EJ Moreland and Lead Gameplay Designer Jesse Knapp answering questions from fans. We've posted the video after the jump. The duo confirms that an exact release date hasn't been set, but the team is still looking at launching the game in spring 2010.

You can still sign up for the APB beta on the game's official site and testers are always trickled in, but Moreland said we can expect a big push for testers around January. There won't be any weather effects in the first release, but there is a day and night cycle in place. Browser versions of the various in-game editors also won't be available for the first release, but could be added in the future.

As far as leveling your character is concerned, there are no abstract stats. Instead, characters are upgraded through items, such as weapons and vehicles. Check out the entire podcast after the jump for answers to other questions.

If you checked out the 13th episode of the All Points Bulletin video podcast, you watched lead creative designer "KitKat" introduce players the two criminal organizations in APB: the G-Kings and the Blood Roses. Well, the 14th episode was just released and it gives players a look at the two Enforcer organizations.

The Praetorians are well-equipped corporate police force run by a business genius. The Prentiss Tigers are "essentially a bunch of jocks. They're the kind of guys that like to hang out at the beach and have kegger parties." Watch the full episode for more information on the Enforcers.

The next podcast will be a Q&A special, so be sure to e-mail your questions to podcast@apb.com for a chance to have them answered on the show.

If you've been watching the All Points Bulletin video podcasts, you know that the past four episodes have focused mainly on a gameplay walkthrough. Well, the 13th episode was just released and features lead creative designer "KitKat" discussing the lore and story behind the urban MMO.

KitKat introduces players the two criminal organizations in APB: the G-Kings and the Blood Roses. The G-Kings are a gang of skater punks, while the Blood Roses are a group of wealthy kids led by an ex-Mafia boss. KitKat will talk about the two Enforcer organizations in the next episode.

Realtime Worlds' Chris Collins also reminds viewers to sign up for the APB closed beta, which is currently under way. You can fill out an application on the official site.

According to Kotaku, the All Points Bulletin closed beta is officially under way. Accepted players have received e-mails that give details on when they can play, which seems to be quite limited right now. Posters on the Eurogamer forum are saying that the beta is currently open on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings from 7-11 p.m., with the first hour being reserved for the "Social District" only.

You can still apply to be a part of the beta test on the official APB site. Check out the recent podcasts to see some actual gameplay in action, which certainly has that Grand Theft Auto feel.

The 12th All Points Bulletin video podcast has been released and contains the final part of the gameplay walkthrough video featuring Epic Games' Mark Rein and Realtime Worlds' Chris Collins. Be sure to check out the ninth, 10th and 11th episodes to complete the series and watch the urban MMO in action.

The podcast also contains a Q&A session with Design Lead EJ Moreland. Although the topic has been covered before, the most common question was if APB will be released for consoles like the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Moreland said the first release will be for PC only, but "after that who knows." Player-owned vehicles can't be stolen and they're still defining the minimum system requirements for the release, although the beta will have a high spec requirement.

The first release won't have player or clan housing, but they'll look into it for the future. There's no real death penalty since it's a fast-paced action game, but it takes you out of the action for a bit to give the opposing team a tactical advantage for killing you. Check out the podcast for answers to other questions.