GamesRadar - Hellgate: London

New Monsters In Hellgate: London Patch 1.5 (News)

Apr 29, 2009

IncGamers has some details of the new monsters that will be turning up in HanbitSoft's Patch 1.5 for Hellgate: London.

Hellgate: London Patch 1.5 Details (News)

Apr 15, 2009

HanbitSoft has announced details of the upcoming patch 1.5 for its action RPG game, Hellgate: London, revealing maps of two new areas and screenshots of new content.

The first new area will be the Training Grounds, a new outside starting zone in Hellgate where players learn how to use weapons and fight. Once completed, they will move on to the next new area, the Maritime Museum. This is a huge two-storey building that is likely to become the new base of operations for Hellgate.

HanbitSoft 'Interested' In Western Relaunch For Hellgate, Prevented By Licensing (News)

Apr 4, 2009

Korean game publisher HanbitSoft has said that it "is interested" in recommencing Hellgate: London's service in the U.S. and Europe, but "unable to do so" due to Namco Bandai's Western publishing deal for the troubled title.

The T3 Entertainment-owned Korean firm acquired the IP of Hellgate has set up a San Francisco-based development studio, Redbana U.S. Corporation, in order to continue development on the PC MMO after the demise of original developer, Flagship Studios.

Hellgate: London Patched (News)

Mar 16, 2009

IncGamers.com reports that Hanbitsoft is patching Hellgate: London for their users, igniting life into the 3D first/third person shooter action RPG. Unfortunately, this patch does not include all regions where the game is sold.

Hellgate: London Will Not Return To Europe And US (News)

Mar 6, 2009

HanbitSoft, the publisher of Hellgate: London in South Korea and parts of Asia, has clarified again that it does not hold the publishing rights for the game in Europe or the US.

HGL recently received an update which went down well with players in Korea where the game is still thriving, however, fans here and in the US are still wondering if they'll see a return of the game.

Hellgate London is Dead, For Real This Time (News)

Feb 1, 2009

It feels like the end of an era, albeit one plagued by drama, disappointment and failed aspirations. History has finally closed the chapter on Hellgate: London.

The servers have shut down. The game is over.

Hellgate London To Continue As Free-To-Play Title (News)

Jan 26, 2009

Although it is slated to stop operating in the West on January 31, multiplayer online title Hellgate: London will continue on here as a free-to-play game, according to comments from Korean publisher and developer HanbitSoft.

The announcement comes in spite of a decision by Namco-Bandai, which co-published the game through an agreement with Electronic Arts' EA Partners, to terminate the game's servers.

Hellgate: London server shutdown January 31, 2009 (News)

Dec 18, 2008

The email delivered to Sports Legends reads:
Please be advised that NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. will continue to support customers of Hellgate: London with online server support and play through January 31, 2009. In a further gesture of support, we will provide this server support free of charge to all fans and players of the game up until the shut down date.

Hellgate Expansion Being Developed (News)

Nov 4, 2008

Despite the fall of Flagship Studios, a new expansion pack for Hellgate: London is in development at Korean publisher HanbitSoft, who confirmed that it now holds rights to the action-RPG franchise.

The company noted that development is being done in its US studio and that it will be distributed through their own website. The update is meant to "surpass the Abyss Chronicles" content that was released earlier this year.

Hellgate: London and Mythos find renewed development at Redbana (News)

Oct 28, 2008

A company called Redbana Taiwan appears to have opened a US office based in San Francisco at the apparent direction of the Korean owners of the Hellgate: London and Mythos intellectual properties to renew work on the games created by the dead company Flagship Studios.

Namco Bandai To Keep Hellgate London Servers Online Till Early 2009 (News)

Oct 24, 2008

Despite the recent closure of developer Flagship Studios, Namco Bandai today announced that it will continue to provide free online multiplayer support to all Hellgate: London players.

Former Co-Founder of Flagship Studios Heads to New Turbine Studio (News)

Oct 13, 2008

GamePlasma writes:

"After announcing the creation of their new California studio, Turbine has also announced that the former co-founder of Flagship Studios David Brevin, developer of Mythos and Hellgate: London, will become the Creative Director for the new studio. Prior to his work at Flagship Studios, David Brevik was president of Blizzard North for seven years."

Mythic VP Explains What Went Wrong With 'Hellgate,' Why He Wanted 'Age of Conan' To Succeed (News)

Sep 2, 2008

Mythic VP and lead "Warhammer Online" designer Mark Jacobs told MTV some of the things needed to make a successful MMO. But he also said if you're looking to make an online game nowadays, the odds are against you.

Namco steps in to rescue Hellgate (News)

Jul 23, 2008

According to a post on the official Hellgate forums, Namco has stepped in to save the Flagship game being washed away in the wake of the developer's demise.

"Flagship Studios Selfish And Irresponsible" (News)

Jul 17, 2008

HanbitSoft will take all necessary action to secure the Hellgate: London and Mythos intellectual property rights and calls Flagship Studios "selfish and irresponsible", according to a Korean interview.

Mythos Team Bids Farewell (News)

Jul 16, 2008

Travis Baldree, Project Lead and Programmer on Mythos created a thread on the official Mythos forum to bid his farewells to the Mythos community and other members of the Mythos team have since added their heartfelt goodbyes to the thread.

Flagship Studios Still In Operations (News)

Jul 16, 2008

Flagship Studios contacted us today to state that they are still in operations despite the recent layoffs. More details are within the article itself.

Flagship Studios: We're Not Dead! We Just Fired Everyone! (News)

Jul 16, 2008

The past several days have been filled with speculation that 'Hellgate: London' developer Flagship Studios has closed its doors and that Flagship's parent company has taken over the rights of Hellgate: London. However, in a statement released by Flagship Studios, CEO Bill Roper explains that the development house founded by former Diablo II members has not shut down, but has laid off most of its workforce.

Roper also went on to explain that because of the troubled times at Flagship Studios, they will no longer be accepting new subscribers to 'Hellgate: London', but those who are already playing the game will now be playing for free.

HanbitSoft CEO Says: Hellgate Belongs To Us (News)

Jul 14, 2008

CEO of HanbitSoft Kim Ki-young speaks out about the recent reports of Flagship Studios' demise and is asked to clarify the situation with Hellgate: London and Mythos.

Flagship Sunk, Who's In Charge of Hellgate? (News)

Jul 12, 2008

Word started passing yesterday that Flagship Studios went caput, and now multiple sites are reporting that the Hellgate developer is indeed no more.

Official Flagship Denial of Takeover Story (News)

Jul 11, 2008

GamingShogun has received an official response from Flagship denying the stories of Hellgate's being taken over by HanbitSoft:

'This story is an outright lie. We have no idea where they are getting their information from and have asked legal counsel to pursue the issue. We are mystified by Hanbitsoft's conclusions and any attempt to take over the IP will be met with a strong and swift response, to 'illegally take over the IP'. All right title and interest in Hellgate; London resides in Flagship Financing, LLC a wholly-owned subsidiary of Flagship Studios. We are outraged that Hanbitsoft would attempt to completely tarnish the reputation of its most vital developer...."

Flagship Studios No Longer Owns Hellgate London (News)

Jul 11, 2008

"In breaking news, Korean news website TheGames.co.kr reports that HanbitSoft is taking full control over the Hellgate: London intellectual property from Flagship Studios."

Flagship Responds To Hellgate: London Concerns News (News)

Jun 13, 2008

TVG writes:Flagship Studios has defended Hellgate: London following a damning blog post from a Programmer on the project.

Flagship: we're not sinking (News)

Jun 12, 2008

Hellgate: London developer Flagship Studios has countered comments made by one of its own staffers that suggested a mass exodus of employees from the studio.

Guy Somberg, a programmer at Flagship, said in a recent post on his personal blog that "People are leaving. In droves, they're leaving" the company.

But Flagship on Wednesday swatted away Somberg's comments, which circulated the Web this week.

"Everyone has good days ...

Staff leaving Flagship "in droves," says programmer (News)

Jun 11, 2008

VG247: Talking on his blog, Flagship audio and gameplay programmer Guy Somberg has admitted that the Hellgate studio has something of a leakage issue.

"So why is work depressing? The reason is that people are leaving. In droves, they're leaving," he said. "We've had programmers, accountants, HR people, and artists leave. The founders are all still around, but they've been floating away from Hellgate to work on various other projects. The only one still actively on Hellgate is Tyler, but Tyler's not programming anymore; he spends all of his time on management activities."

Flagship Studios Crashing? (News)

Jun 7, 2008

Some troubling news has arrived from inside Flagship Studios, the company created from ex-Blizzard employees mostly known for creating the Diablo games and the developers of Hellgate: London and Mythos. It seems that the employees are leaving the company in droves, and the company could be in trouble. A personal blog post of one of the "lead" programmers revealed this (but has been deleted since). The blog post reveals a lot of the current status "from the inside".

Hellgate Possibly Responsible for Huge Losses for Hanbitsoft (News)

May 22, 2008

Hellgate: IncGamers report that Hanbitsoft founder, Kim Young-man, is selling off a large number of his Hanbitsoft shares, and that the company has had big losses recently, possibly due to the bad Hellgate: London reception in Korea.

Hellgate: London hugely successful in Korea (News)

Apr 11, 2008

Flagship Studios has today announced that its action role-playing game Hellgate: London has become the most successful online video game launch of the past three years, with over one million accounts registered during the first two weeks of its open beta test.

Following the launch of the open beta on January 15 the game became the ninth most played online game, the fifth most popular RPG and the most popular online beta game in PC Cafes.

Flagship, Comerica Strike Indie Film Inspired Funding Deal (News)

Mar 26, 2008

Developer Flagship (Hellgate: London, Mythos) has announced that it has closed a new deal with Comerica Bank to fund the company using an "independent film financing model as its basis" that will see the company continuing to create content without publisher investment.

The company has created a new multi-million dollar facility with the bank, "backed by the sale and distribution rights to Flagship's game franchise Hellgate: London."

Hellgate: London - Patch v1.2 (Video)

Mar 26, 2008

Harkens back to Diablo well enough, but it's just not the gory horror-spree we were hoping for.

Hellgate: London Patch 1.2 Released To Live Servers (News)

Mar 18, 2008

From the official Hellgate: London site:

"This patch is has some major skill changes, a few vital balance tweaks, some pesky bug fixes, and a highly-requested new feature.

First and foremost is the introduction of our in-game mail system. This is something that we know is of vital interest to our community, and is the foundation for our consignment / auction house system. Players can not only send and receive messages with anyone in the game, but they can also attach Palladium and items to their mail. This makes getting items from one character to another Â¿ even your own Â¿ much simpler and more convenient. And while you need to be in a Station to attach or receive items and Palladium, you can read your messages anywhere, anytime."

Hellgate: London - Blademaster tutorial (Video)

Feb 29, 2008

Harkens back to Diablo well enough, but it's just not the gory horror-spree we were hoping for.

We ballsed things up with Hellgate, Roper admits (News)

Feb 25, 2008

"I think that people had incredibly high expectations that we simply didn't meet", Flagship boss Bill Roper has admitted in an interview with PC Zone on Hellgate: London.

Looking back the RPG was surrounded by hefty anticipation due to it hailing from the team responsible for the Diablo series, but it ended up experiencing a rocky launch last year, blighted by major bugs.

Hellgate: London - v1.1 Patch Details (News)

Jan 29, 2008

Hellgate: London is an immersive first-person perspective RPG with a completely randomized world that offers a unique experience every time you play, introducing a demon-ridden place where the last survivors of the human race must meld science and magic to survive. Shortly after the recent v1.0/Stonehenge patch, Flagship is already working on the next v1.1 update.

Hellgate - One of the Most Popular Game in Korea (News)

Jan 24, 2008

After the horrible launch in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia, Hellgate has been very well received in Korea. After the big release event a week ago, GameMeca reports that Hellgate is the 6th most popular PC Bunk games right now. This type of playing is usually paid by the hour, instead of buying the whole game, so the popularity of the game comes from what people think, rather than advertisement or hype.

Hellgate Uses New Payment Methods; Lifetime Subscription Offer Ends on 31st (News)

Jan 22, 2008

Mon, 01/21/2008

The official Hellgate: London website has posted up word that subscribing via PayPal and PayByCash is now possible.

The website notice also announces that the Founder's Club offer, which gives folks a lifetime subscription to Hellgate: London, will end on Jan. 31.

Hellgate: London Goes to Stonehenge on Monday (News)

Jan 18, 2008

Via WorthPlaying:

"Hellgate: London is an immersive first-person perspective RPG with a completely randomized world that offers a unique experience every time you play, introducing a demon-ridden place where the last survivors of the human race must meld science and magic to survive. Flagship will roll out the Stonehenge expansion on Monday, adding new environments, new demons and tons of phat loot."

Diablo 2 Cow Level Makes Reappearance in Hellgate? (News)

Nov 27, 2007

There has been rumours about of a "Cow level" hidden in Hellgate: London on some german fansite. This is a reference to the Diablo 2 cow level that Blizzard created after much debate on wether a cow level did exist in the original Diablo game or not. Two screenshots has been brought forward to prove the cow level in Hellgate: London.

Koreans in Love with Hellgate: London (News)

Nov 24, 2007

Apparently Korea has their own closed beta test and many find it to be a fun and satisfying game to play. The distribution of the game is handled by Hanbitsoft, and incidentally its logo also appears on the SEA boxed set version.

"Gamers had to gauge the game according to five criteria - graphic, addiction, action, fun and sound. Graphic scored the highest at 91% while Sound scored the lowest at 86.2%.

It seems that the Koreans are quite in love with Hellgate: London. The game was given an average user rating of 89.2 points - that's a very decent store given that StarCraft is the national sport there."

Hellgate: London gets patched (News)

Nov 20, 2007

Nov 20, 2007 A number of new features and a wealth of fixes and tweaks are set to hit RPG Hellgate: London today in Patch 0.5 for the game. "A lot of work has been done on the chat interface. This is step one in our overhaul of the system, but we think you'll find it more user-friendly and less intrusive. We've also given everyone 24 character slots to encourage playing with different builds and classes", a post from the Hellgate team on the official website reads. "The game is also more ...

Call of Duty 4 storms German, Spanish charts (News)

Nov 19, 2007

The latest videogame sales data released for Germany and Spain shows Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare making a strong debut.

In Germany, Activision's first-person shooter captured the top three spots, with the PC version at number one, followed by the Xbox 360 version and the PS3 version in at number three

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was slightly less popular in Spain, but still managed to capture three of the top ten spots. The PS3 version debuted at number three, followed by the Xbox 360 version at number four and the PC version at number eight.

Germany:

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360)
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
4. Hellgate: London (PC)
5. WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2008 (PS2)
6. Fussball Manager 2008 (PC)
7. Singstar: Apres Ski (PS2)
8. Dr. Kawashima's Gehirn-Jogging (DS)
9. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
10. Singstar: Rock Ballads (PS2)

Spain:

1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS2)
2. WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2008 (PS2)
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360)
5. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (PS2)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)
7. WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2008 (PS3)
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
9. WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2008 (PSP)
10. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Kiddie Porn & Abuse Surrounding MMO Gold Selling (News)

Nov 16, 2007

Most MMO players know the story of IGE and Affinity Media by now, (the owners of WoWhead, Allakhazam, Thottbot and WoWinterface), and their relationship. A really interesting article popped up on Radar Online today which highlights some of the dodgy characters that are involved in the Affinity Media business which had claimed to have no involvement with IGE. Brock Pierce who is an advisor and a board member of Affinity Media, is highlighted in the above article and I have to say there's some pretty unsavoury stuff here pointing at child abuse. This has been brought up before regarding Brock Pierce who has apparently denied charges but there are filed legal cases which he has tried to settle.

In related news, there has been paperwork filed this week where IGE admits that it is Affinity Media (see additional link). Not that anyone doubted it. Next time you hit up an Affinity Media site, just think about who you are supporting and who's pockets your traffic is lining with cash.

Top 10 Best Selling PC Games For November 3 (News)

Nov 15, 2007

The NPD Group has released the latest list of the top 10 best selling PC games in the US, this time for the week ending November 3. It seems that despite bad reviews, Flagship Studios have done something right, as people buy Hellgate: London despite many reviewers' opinion that it needed a few more months in production.

1. Hellgate: London - Namco/EA
2. Hellgate: London Collectors Edition - Namco/EA
3. Half Life 2: Episode 2 The Orange Box - Valve/EA
4. Age Of Empires III: Asian Dynasties - Microsoft
5. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage - Electronic Arts
6. Nancy Drew: Legend Of The Crystal Skull - Her Interactive
7. Flight Simulator X: Acceleration - Microsoft
8. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
9. The Witcher - Atari
10. The Sims 2 Deluxe - Electronic Arts

Hellgate: London Beta Extended Yet Again (News)

Nov 15, 2007

Flagship has just announced that they will be holding the Beta period in grace for yet another week. 21st of November is the last (last) day of the Beta. Accounts that has not been activated by a registration code by then will be suspended. I would assume it is still possible to reactivate the beta account after 21st, but it will at any rate not be possible to play without registration.

Reduction in time spent playing PC games for October - the Halo 3 effect? (News)

Nov 15, 2007

According to the latest statistics released by online community and data aggregation tool Xfire, the number of hours spent playing online PC games by its community of over 8 million players fell further in October.

"We think that the most reasonable explanation is the release of major console titles - Halo 3 came out September 25th - which shows that a lot of Xfire users are console gamers too," says Xfire's senior director of marketing, Frederic Descamps.

"However with the release of the widely anticipated titles Hellgate: London (October 31) and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (November 5), we have seen a 10 per cent increase in daily gameplay for November as compared to October."

IAHGames and Flagship Work to fix Hellgate Troubles (News)

Nov 14, 2007

The South East Asian problems with Hellgate: London is hopefully at an end in a week from now, as both CEOs of Flagship Studios and IAHGames have made a joint statement that there will be no character wipe and that Flagship Studios has a solution to implement patch 0 without affecting the database. IAHGames announced that both Patch 0 and Patch 0.1 will be implemented and that the patches should be up on 22nd November 2007. Only time will tell if flagship and IAHGames can ever repair the loss in faith from the South East Asian market.

Hellgate PNY 8800 GTX Videocards Competition (News)

Nov 14, 2007

For anyone having problems running Hellgate: London (or other power craving game) there is a competition up on the Unofficial Hellgate: London Site to win one of two new PNY 8800 GTX graphics cards.

"Over the next two weeks we'll be running a competition where two lucky winners will be souping up their system with a PNY 8800 GTX 768Mb graphics card. We thought it would be fun and beneficial for everyone (even those not entering the competition) if we focused the competition on Hellgate information. What you can do to be in with a chance of winning is simply contribute. The contributions can be news posts, movies or guides."

Hellgate: London Gamers In Asia To Have Characters Erased From Server (News)

Nov 11, 2007

Via Ripten:

"Unfortunately, the launch of Hellgate: London in Asia didn't start well and it has taken a turn for the worse. Crashing problems wreaked havoc on the servers early, and all attempts to patch the issues failed. This left the Hellgate team with only one option, a complete character wipe. Apparently some areas of the world have easier access to hell than others."

Official Comment after the jump.

Fixing Hellgate (News)

Nov 9, 2007

Nov 9, 2007 Hellgate: London's experienced a rocky launch. Problems have ranged from players levelling criticism at the game mechanics to a percentage of those opting to subscribe for extra content finding credit cards double-charged (an issue which has now been resolved, according to Flagship). In response to the upheaval, Flagship has outlined its current top priorities for the game and promises that it's working hard to address issues. A forum post reads as follows: Dear Customers, We ...

Flagship Responds to Subscription Issues and Other Concerns (News)

Nov 9, 2007

The big issue on billing problems that Hellgate: IncGamers reported on yesterday is now dealt with according to Flagship Studios. Kaiser Hwang, Senior Community Manager of Flagship Studios says: "After burning several drums of midnight oil, we have resolved all current billing issues with our payment processing partners."

They also explain more about the problem, and that only 3% of the subscribers were exposed by this problem. Shortly after, Kaiser also posted a list of current Flagship/Ping0 priorities.

Big Issues With Subscription in Hellgate: London (News)

Nov 8, 2007

During the last few days there has been reports from the players that the fans wanting that "little extra" in Hellgate: London, have sometimes gotten more than they hoped for. Subscriptions eroneously entered in US/EU instead of the opposite, multiple charges of the monthly fees, and no subscriber content for paying subscribers. "Founders" (life time subscription members) seems more commonly having problems than others. Representatives from Flagship Studious / Ping0 has been asked to comment, but have not yet replied.

Hellgate: London Players Shafted - Still Only max lvl 22 (News)

Nov 7, 2007

While you could complain a bit about the launch and "Patch 0" in the US/EU region, with the hassle, and a few hours downtime, the Southeast Asian fans have gotten it a lot worse. They didn't receive "Patch 0", so they missed the whole Halloween content. They were to receive "some other" patch today, to at least give them the full game (lvl 22-50, and later areas of the game), but it seems that have also caused problems. If this error is due to something that Flagship Studios are responsible for or if it is the distributor IAHGames of the region is unknown. The fans of SEA are still hoping for a quick solution, but for how much longer will they wait? One week in "internet time" is a year in "real life time".

Hellgate: London Patch 0 Finally Live in Southeast Asia (News)

Nov 7, 2007

The "Patch 0" that was supposed to be available on launch day for all Hellgate: London players has been slightly delayed, and the Southeast Asian members of the community forums has made vocal complaints at the lack of the Halloween content as well as being able to go beyond lvl 22 (lvl 50 for US and EU players). While they are still behind the patches of the US and EU servers, IAHGames have now release Patch 0.

SecuROM Causes Issues In Hellgate: London (News)

Nov 6, 2007

One of the writers at Aeropause installed his brand new copy of Hellgate: London, only to be greeted by the SecuROM message telling him of an Original Disc error. Once again, copy protection hurts the legal user and not the pirate.

Hellgate: London SEA Gets Delayed Patch Today Miss All Halloween Content (News)

Nov 6, 2007

The fans of Hellgate: London have been quite upset on how the launch and services of Hellgate: London has been handled in South East Asia. As the game's dreaded "Patch 0" needed recompilation before local release, it has been delayed, at many fans dismay. For one thing, all fans missed out on the Halloween content, and the patch that will be released now is not even certain that it is the "Patch 0", or if it might just be some major hotfix. IAHGames, the distributor, only tells the fans that there will be a patch.

Elite Content for Everyone and Bug Fixes in Hellgate: London (News)

Nov 5, 2007

Flagship has released the patch notes for tonight's patch, which also includes a host of updates and fixes (including enabling Elite mode for non-subscribers!) coming in alongside the Guy Fawkes content. They apparently realise the need to have bug fixes as well as content updates, which is good news for their fans.

Here is a few highlights:

"Graphics
* Overall memory usage improved, especially in Stations. This increases client stability, reducing "memory exhausted" crash issues.

Engineer
* Drones stats/items now save on logout.
* Drones now properly receive Armor and Shields when equipped with armor using the Armor Retrofit skill."

Hellgate London servers down between 6AM and 9AM PST today for Guy Fawkes event (News)

Nov 5, 2007

Flagship Studios has announced that between 6AM and 9AM PST today, both the Shulgoth and Sydonai Hellgate London servers will be coming down for maintenance and patching. They hope that the downtime will be no longer than three hours, but ask everyone to be patient if it's longer.

Hellgate: London up on Xfire's most played list (News)

Nov 5, 2007

Some have been worried that Hellgate: London would flop horribly (or perhaps was hoping for it), but it seems the people playing the game has gone up since release. Its hard to take any real numbers without asking Flagship Studios, who obviously are occupied with other things at the moment, such as fixing any bugs that might have "slipped" in with the game, but its possible to see a comparison between other games who use Xfire.

Lag Problems With Hellgate, Flagship Requests User Reports (News)

Nov 2, 2007

People are experiencing lag problems on the Hellgate: London servers, and the Flagship crew is looking in to it. Thir ever viligant Tiggs on the Hellgate: London forums is requesting that people experiencing lag or high latency (ping) post some data for her, so she can pinpoint the problem.

Bill Roper: Hellgate: London Is Now Live (News)

Oct 31, 2007

We have a message from Bill Roper on the Hellgate: London launch and the game finally hitting the shelves after 4 years in production (and a long time since Diablo 2):

"The regular and collector's edition boxes are hitting store shelves. Games have been arriving in mailboxes across the world. Hellgate: London is digitally streaming across the Internet onto computers of eager gamers. And our servers are up and the battle to save London is officially underway."

Hellgate: London (Review)

Oct 31, 2007

Oct 31, 2007 Theres a grand, almost royal disappointment lurking at the heart of Hellgate. Its a disappointment wrought from the strange collage of game styles its inspired by. Its both a fast-paced first-person shooter recalling Half-Life and Call of Duty, and a simple action-RPG like Diablo. On paper this could, and should, be one of the great addictive pleasures of our time - an engrossing treadmill of leveling up and upgrading your weapons, skills and items, mixed with the violence and ...

Hellgate: London Online FAQ and Support (News)

Oct 31, 2007

Flagship has launched Hellgate: London, and it's online servers. The subscription part of it is currently offline, but the regular content should be up and running. For the people that have any questions about the online game and subscriber/non-subscriber content, you can check out the Hellgate: London Online F.A.Q. There is also more information in the official Knowledgebase, and finally their e-mail.

Stores Release Hellgate: London Early (News)

Oct 31, 2007

Apparently, Phillipines isn't the only place releaseing Hellgate prematurely. As Kaiser mentions it on HGL.com, it is probably a lot more widespread than that:

"We're aware that some retailers have started selling Hellgate: London a day early. While the game had shipped to stores, they were not supposed to start selling copies until Wednesday, October 31st. This means that while some people have been able to get their hands on the game a day early, they aren't able to get onto the multiplayer servers. This is because we are not starting service until Halloween. We apologize for any inconvenience and frustration that has been caused trigger-happy stores. When the servers go live, we'll make sure to post a notice on www.hellgatelondon.com and www.flagshipstudios.com so that there is no confusion.

Thanks for your support of the game and we'll see you online very soon!"

Hellgate: London Already on Sale (News)

Oct 26, 2007

In the Philipines, there have already been reports on stores starting to sell Hellgate: London well before launch on 31st of October. The local distributor have said that they are currently checking this out.

Flagship Studios Explains EULA Language That Has Fans In Uproar (News)

Oct 24, 2007

Flagship Studios recently released a demo for their upcoming game, Hellgate: London. Fans who decided to read the EULA, were shocked to find that it allowed EA to collect personal data for advertising. News hit the Internet and has prompted Flagship to give a response.

Roper Speaks - Big Changes in Hellgate: London Before Launch (News)

Oct 24, 2007

Bill Roper went on the Hellgate: London Beta forum boards and made a big post about the upcoming changes for the game. The post includes information about updates to:
- Guilds
- Player vs. Player Mode
- Achievements
- NPC Tweaks
- Gossip
- Tuned Game Progression
- Interface Features
- Elite Mode
- Themed Events and Items - Halloween (October 31 Â¿ November 4)
- Additional Character Slots
- Expanded Stash

Flagship details Hellgate subscriber perks (News)

Oct 22, 2007

Oct 22, 2007 Hellgate: London is just around the corner and Flagship Studios has chosen now as the time to confirm subscriber perks. The developer's already stated that players who pay a fee will gain access to exclusive features and content - you can still play the game online (and offline) for free - and below is what will be available on launch (thats Oct 31, State ...

Bill Roper: "Definitely" more Hellgate stories to tell (News)

Oct 22, 2007

Flagship Studios CEO Bill Roper has said that there are "definitely" more stories the developer wants to tell in the Hellgate universe.

"For us, one of the reasons that the game was Hellgate: London is that we wanted to talk about... Well, it's two-fold. One, the city itself is very important to the game, the architecture of the city and what lies beneath the streets of London - giving elements of London itself that are part of a story and part of the gameplay as well."

Flagship details Hellgate subscriber perks (News)

Oct 22, 2007

Hellgate: London is just around the corner and Flagship Studios has chosen now as the time to confirm subscriber perks.

The developer's already stated that players who pay a subs fee will gain access to exclusive features and content - you can still play the game online (and offline) for free - and now they detailed what will be available on launch (Hellgate is out November 2).

Hellgate: London - Temple Station tube tour 10-19-07 (Video)

Oct 19, 2007

Harkens back to Diablo well enough, but it's just not the gory horror-spree we were hoping for.

Hellgate: London Exclusive Demo (News)

Oct 19, 2007

GameDaily is proud to present the Hellgate: London single player demo from Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai and Flagship Studios. The demo lets players experience Halloween horror as the streets of London in the year 2038 run deep with demons.

Hellgate: London demo launches (News)

Oct 18, 2007

Oct 18, 2007 Fans who have pre-ordered Hellgate: London have already been beta testing the bloody waters of this FPS/MMO hybrid from the core creators of Diablo. But if you want to sample the game without committing to a purchase, you can get your hands on the demo by downloading it now with FileRadar. This single player demo will let you choose from two of the game's six character classes. The Blademaster is a dual-wielding melee damage machine, and the Marksman is a long ranged gun crazy ...

Hellgate: London Gold and Single Player Demo (News)

Oct 17, 2007

EA has announced that Flagship Studios' Hellgate: London has now gone gold and is set for release on November 2nd on schedule. A single player demo will also be released on Thursday 18th.

Hellgate: London Beta Bugs Don't Worry Devs (News)

Oct 16, 2007

Currently populated with more bugs than beta testers can shake their swords at, playing Hellgate: London can feel downright hellish at times.

With Flagship Studios' highly-anticipated online RPG only 16 days from release, many otherwise-glowing previews have included a caveat explaining the game's current instability and, in some areas, a disturbing lack of key functionality.

However, watching closely from behind the scenes, Flagship staffers aren't especially worried.

Elves Are Out, Aliens In (News)

Oct 16, 2007

The New York Times report on October 16, 2007:

Where have all the elves gone?

That's the question gamers and the people who love them are bound to ask this fall as they take in the latest crop of big-budget video games. Since the 1970s, dragons, orcs, wizards and dwarfs have been staples of interactive entertainment, yet this holiday season there are hardly any top new games in the traditional fantasy mode.

Instead 2007 has been dominated by perhaps the deepest lineup of science fiction games ever.

Hellgate: London tube tour - new screens and video (News)

Oct 8, 2007

Oct 8, 2007 Weve been spending a rather unhealthy amount of time tooling through the war-torn streets and subways in Hellgate: Londons beta. If you want to get in on the action, Flagship Studios is distributing access keys for those who pre-order the game. But if you dont have the guts to take a leap of faith on this FPS/RPG hybrid from the core creators of Diablo, then test the water by checking out the latest videos and screenshots, which highlight the games early bosses and starting ...

November will be a great month for PC gaming - Release dates (News)

Oct 7, 2007

The PC gaming industry works in cycles, and it will reach the beginning of a new cycle in November:

* Hellgate: London: October 31st/November 2nd
* Gears of War: November 7th/9th
* Crysis: November 16th/19th

In addition, Nvidia and AMD will release new hardware to coincide with those game releases.

Hellgate: London interview (Feature)

Oct 5, 2007

Oct 5, 2007 Hellgate: London opens for devilish, action RPG business in the first week of November, offering an apocalyptic view of the good city and a healthy amount of demon bashing. We tracked down Bill Roper, ex-Blizzard chap and Diablo developer, to get the inside track on Hellgate's inception. GamesRadar: So, first off, why make Hellgate: London as an action RPG? Bill Roper: [At developer Flagship Studios] we really like action RPGS. We like fighting lots of demons, and having you feel ...

Welcome to HELL (Feature)

Sep 27, 2007

Sept 27, 2007 To be honest, we couldnt care less about Hellgate: Londons post-apocalyptic tale of demons terrorizing London, or your epic task of saving mankind from extinction. Its Diablo with guns for Christs sake and thats more than enough for us. During our brief time in the beta, weve been having a blast blowing demons to bits in this FPS/RPG hybrid. Who knew that hell on earth could be so much fun? We decided to share the pleasure of pain in Hellgate: London by giving you the lowdown on ...

EA announces trifecta pre order for Hellgate: London (News)

Sep 18, 2007

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced three special pre-order promotions for the highly anticipated action RPG Hellgate: London in North America.

Hellgate beta sign-ups begin (News)

Sep 17, 2007

Sign-ups for the Hellgate: London beta test have begun. Just get yourself over to the official site in one piece to pop your name down.

If you're one of the lucky ones pulled out of the gruesome sorting hat, you'll have a chance to get to grips with the ambitious multiplayer part of the game. You might remember that there are two tiers for this; one is a limited and free version, the other asks for a monthly subscription of GBP 6.99 in return for bundles of exciting bits and pieces - player housing, extensive guild options, enormous raid encounters, loads of items to collect, and more.

GameSpot - Hellgate: London Updated Q&A (News)

Sep 17, 2007

Hellgate: London Updated Q&A - Quests and Quest Design

Flagship Studios writer Ivan Sulic gives us a rundown of the interesting and unusual quests that you'll pursue in this action role-playing game.

Hellgate: London is an action role-playing game that doesn't feature a fantasy setting, haughty elves, surly dwarves, or sassy peasants. Instead, this action RPG, which can be played from either first- or third-person perspective, is set in the gutted ruins of a future London after a dimensional portal has opened a rift that allows demons to enter the world. Your job is to kill every demon in your path as you pursue hundreds of quests and try to, hopefully, save the world. To learn more about the mission that you'll pursue, we turned to Ivan Sulic, writer for Flagship Studios. Hellgate: London will ship in late October.

Deploying Soon, Shock and Rock (News)

Sep 10, 2007

Listing of superb games due to be deployed this fall.

Hellgate: London - Subscriptions Priced & Detailed (News)

Aug 25, 2007

It was revealed before that Hellgate: London, the upcoming action-RPG from Flagship Studios, will feature a premium multiplayer component. The pricing structure for the premium part has been announced - it will cost players €9.99/£6.99 per month to get access to premium features including the ability to play co-operatively with other players online, trade items, join guilds, voice chat, buddy lists and more.

Additionally, players with subscriptions will also get new content including new character classes, areas, monsters, items and raid content, as well as new game modes including Hardcore, Role-play and PvP. They will also get additional character and stash slots. Other features include in-game email for items, web access to characters and a place in future beta lotteries.

PC: The Ones to Watch (Feature)

Aug 8, 2007

A lot's happened in the world of PC gaming already this year. Most notable was the introduction of Microsoft's Games for Windows - Live initiative, but there have already been several high profile releases on the platform. So much so that when we went back to our 2007 PC Game feature we almost had to halve it, as many games were already on sale. But that's okay because there are plenty more waiting for their chance to conquer the charts. Here's what you should be spending your money on in the ...

Hellgate: London (Screenshots)

Aug 8, 2007

Halloween release for Hellgate: London (News)

Aug 7, 2007

EA has tagged Hellgate: London with an official release date of October 31 in North America and November 2 for Europe. Hellgate: London is the long awaited title from ex-Blizzard man Bill Roper's new outfit, Flagship studios. It's being billed as the next leap as far as action-RPGs go, don't you know? "We wanted to hit the sweet-spot for release in terms of the development schedule and delivering the highest-quality game to our players," said Roper. "Halloween was the perfect fit as it ...

Halloween release for Hellgate: London (News)

Aug 6, 2007

Hellgate: London trailer (News)

Jul 26, 2007

Still find yourself waiting for the release of the highly anticipated Hellgate: London game or in Diablo-induced withdrawal? Well, it's time for you to stop twiddling your thumbs and check out this new trailer. This little tidbit should tide you over... well, at least leave you salivating for more until the game is officially released. Complete with cinematic interludes and intense gameplay footage, this macabre trailer will not disappoint (check out the slick swordplay move two minutes into ...

Hellgate: London Alpha Invites Being Sent Out (News)

Jul 19, 2007

Members of the Hellgate: London community have reported receiving invitations. It's summer. It's alpha. It's time for the Hellgate: London community to kick it into high gear.

Roper on Hellgate online: We're not ripping people off (News)

Jul 16, 2007

Flagship Studios boss Bill Roper is adamant the developer isn't ripping people off with the subscription-based access to Hellgate: London online multiplayer. "We wanted to have the best of both worlds: to give people the free experience they're expecting, because this is from the Diablo team, but at the same time to provide continuing content," Roper told PC Zone magazine before discussing exactly what players will get for their $9.99 a month. He continued, "We want to be able to stream ...

E3 07: Hellgate: London - preview (Preview)

Jul 11, 2007

Everybody wants Diablo III... but they're not going to get it. Fortunately, Hellgate: London continues to shape up to be an appealing alternative. Though the game plunks you down into London's grim future, the mixture of knight-like Templars and other updated fantasy warriors gives the game an instantly understandable hack and slash style. That, and London's sewers don't look a million miles away from ...

Hellgate: London subscriptions explained (News)

May 9, 2007

Players of Hellgate: London, the online action RPG set in a demon-infested capital, will be able to opt for one of two subscription setups. Namely, pay money and get extra in-game gubbins, or play for free and receive a more stripped-down experience. The pricing will be $9.95 a month. Pay up and you'll be able to store more characters on your account (a max of 12 instead of 3 for non-paying players), more items in your account 'vault' (40 instead of 20), enjoy 'VIP shuttles' to zip across to ...

Hellgate: London "Elite" Subscriptions Revealed (News)

May 9, 2007

Hellgate London is apparently going to have a monthly fee.

You can still play for free online, but if you want any features you'll have to pay a monthly fee of $9.95.

check out the article for more details.

Mythos to be free (News)

Mar 25, 2007

The MMORPG coming out of Flagship Studios Seattle, Mythos, is coming for free. Both download and to play, this late 2007 MMO fix won't cost you a penny. Based in a fantasy setting, the game will be utilizing the same technology as Hellgate London's multiplayer. The title will be available sometime later in the year.

Hellgate: London - updated impressions (Preview)

Mar 9, 2007

With deep role-playing elements and fast-paced first-person shooter goodness, Hellgate: London keeps looking better and bloodier. Today we got our first look at the Guardians and Blademasters, two never-before-seen classes from the Templar faction. Although both classes excel at up-close combat with melee weapons, they play quite differently. The tough-as-nails Guardians are the most defense oriented class in the game. They excel at soaking up damage and drawing the attention of surrounding ...

Hellgate: London (Preview)

Mar 1, 2007

If there was any doubt that Hellgate: London will be dark in both its setting and its offbeat humor, its lost as soon as you begin playing. The search for a kids missing appendage took me from Covent Garden tube station, through randomly generated tube tunnels and desolate London streets, on to a final encounter with a 15ft hulking mass of flesh. Exactly why he'd jack the leg of a kid remains a mystery to us, but Lil Timmy promised hed give me the stump of wood (an entry-level melee weapon) he ...

Your most wanted PC games (Feature)

Feb 1, 2007

Hellgate: London Ooh, this'd better be good, or else. We're hoping for Diablo- beating crazed action, as London becomes infected with unclean horrors. To go with the previously announced Cabalist and Templar factions, Flagship have announced another: the Hunter. He's a clever addition, ramping up the action by not using the auto-aiming or target-locking that aid other classes, creating something the developers say will "appeal directly to FPS ...

Microsoft striving for simultaneous Vista, 360 releases (News)

Jan 24, 2007

Microsoft is hoping to see more titles released simultaneously on the Xbox 360 and Vista platforms, according to Rick Wickham, director for the Windows Gaming business.

Wickham indicated that a number of PC and Xbox 360 titles will launch at the same time this year, although he added that it was essentially a decision left to individual third-party publishers.

The initiative is just one of many designed to marry the two platforms, along with games that are playable across both formats and the adoption of Xbox Live features into PC gaming.

Achievement points, a key aspect of Xbox Live play, are also set to be incorporated into PC games and Windows Vista over the coming year.

Microsoft hopes to entice a majority of game developers to release titles under the Games for Windows branding, building a portfolio of titles. Games on show at the event included Crytek's Crysis, Funcom's Age of Conan, Flagship Studio's Hellgate: London and Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander.

Hellgate to open on Xbox 360 (News)

Jan 19, 2007

Hellgate: London, the apocalyptic capital-based RPG, could be heading to Xbox 360, according to comments attributed to US publisher Namco Bandai's director, Zach Karlsson. "It's highly unlikely that such a notion (bringing Hellgate: London to Xbox 360) is far from the company's planning calendar," Karlsson told industry website Next-Gen.biz. Or, in other words: It'd make a ton of cash, so why ...