Hellgate: London Returns as a Free-to-Play MMO
After Hellgate: London proved to not be a success when it was launched in 2007, developer Flagship Studios was forced to file for bankruptcy. It lost its intellectual properties in the process and, like with Mythos, Hellgate's rights were acquired by Korean company HanbitSoft. With the help of Korean MMO developer T3 Entertainment and its North American publishing arm, Redbana, Hellgate is being brought back to North America for the first time since it was shut down on January 31, 2009.
The third-person action-RPG is now referred to only as "Hellgate," and will be going into a very short closed beta next month. The beta will run from June 3 to June 5, with the full game expected to (re)launch later in 2011. Flagship's other title, Mythos, was recently relaunched in Europe.
Being free-to-play isn't an enormous departure from the original version of Hellgate -- it carried an optional subscription that provided players with exclusive content and features.
After first acquiring the rights to Hellgate, HanbitSoft stated that it wished to continue supporting the game in North America (along with Asia; the game was well-received in Korea), but it was blocked from doing so by publisher Namco Bandai. Full distribution rights ended up being acquired by HanbitSoft last year, paving the way for its return to North America.
The video above was posted on the Hellgate YouTube page and, as you can tell, it still looks like a game that was originally released several years ago. As a free-to-play title, it won't be expected to look a good as more recent games, and it's noted that the video is not from the final client -- "there will be some changes," although it's unlikely those would have anything to do with making it look noticeably better. More details will be made available on the game's new official website.
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Hey! I remember playing this game!
it was pretty awesome while I tried it.
if it's free I'll definitely play again.
After Hellgate: London proved to not be a success when it was launched in 2007, developer Flagship Studios was forced to file for bankruptcy. It lost its intellectual properties in the process and, like with Mythos, Hellgate's rights were acquired by Korean company HanbitSoft. With the help of Korean MMO developer T3 Entertainment and its North American publishing arm, Redbana, Hellgate is being brought back to North America for the first time since it was shut down on January 31, 2009.
The third-person action-RPG is now referred to only as "Hellgate," and will be going into a very short closed beta next month. The beta will run from June 3 to June 5, with the full game expected to (re)launch later in 2011. Flagship's other title, Mythos, was recently relaunched in Europe.
Being free-to-play isn't an enormous departure from the original version of Hellgate -- it carried an optional subscription that provided players with exclusive content and features.
After first acquiring the rights to Hellgate, HanbitSoft stated that it wished to continue supporting the game in North America (along with Asia; the game was well-received in Korea), but it was blocked from doing so by publisher Namco Bandai. Full distribution rights ended up being acquired by HanbitSoft last year, paving the way for its return to North America.
The video above was posted on the Hellgate YouTube page and, as you can tell, it still looks like a game that was originally released several years ago. As a free-to-play title, it won't be expected to look a good as more recent games, and it's noted that the video is not from the final client -- "there will be some changes," although it's unlikely those would have anything to do with making it look noticeably better. More details will be made available on the game's new official website.
-------------------------
Hey! I remember playing this game!
it was pretty awesome while I tried it.
if it's free I'll definitely play again.