Massively http://www.massively.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://www.massively.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Hellgate: London wants to come back, it really does]]>http://www.massively.com/2009/04/03/hellgate-london-wants-to-come-back-it-really-does/http://www.massively.com/2009/04/03/hellgate-london-wants-to-come-back-it-really-does/http://www.massively.com/2009/04/03/hellgate-london-wants-to-come-back-it-really-does/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Still confused on the true status of Hellgate: London? Well, let us help confuse you a bit more. According to Korean publisher HanbitSoft, they're interested in resurrecting the game in the U.S. and Europe, but their hands are tied by Namco Bandai. Of course HanbitSoft acquired the title from Flagship, who was the original developer of the game. On top of this, the game is alive and well in Korea under HanbitSoft's domain.

Maybe Kee Young Kim, CEO of HanbitSoft, can explain it better: "HanbitSoft does own the intellectual property of Hellgate: London and is interested in providing the game in the US and Europe, but is unable to do so at this time because Namco Bandai has the publishing rights for those regions." Any way you look at it, it seems Hellgate: London is trying hard to come back to its loyal fans.

MassivelyHellgate: London wants to come back, it really does originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flagship-studioshanbitsofthellgate-londonnamco-bandaiFri, 03 Apr 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate: London is dead, for real this time]]>http://www.massively.com/2009/03/05/hellgate-london-is-dead-for-real-this-time/http://www.massively.com/2009/03/05/hellgate-london-is-dead-for-real-this-time/http://www.massively.com/2009/03/05/hellgate-london-is-dead-for-real-this-time/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

It's up! It's down! It's up! It's down! It's... sideways?

That's the story for the ever growing saga of Hellgate: London in a nutshell. This time, however, it's not coming back and there should be no more rumors that it is coming back. HanbitSoft, the Asian publisher of the game, has finally clarified to GameCyte that they do not have the publishing rights to Hellgate: London in the United States or Europe, just in Asia, excluding Japan.

Currently those rights are held by Namco-Bandai, who have made the decision to shut down the Hellgate servers as of February 1st.

So it's not coming back. Even though it will still have press releases in English and have updates being made by a US developer, it's not coming back. However, if you really want to play, we suggest moving to Asia, as it will still be going strong over there.

MassivelyHellgate: London is dead, for real this time originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flagshipflagship-studiosfree-to-playgamecytehanbitsofthellgatehellgate-londonnamco-bandairevivalserversshutdownThu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate's US/EU servers and website slam shut]]>http://www.massively.com/2009/02/02/hellgates-us-eu-servers-and-website-slam-shut/http://www.massively.com/2009/02/02/hellgates-us-eu-servers-and-website-slam-shut/http://www.massively.com/2009/02/02/hellgates-us-eu-servers-and-website-slam-shut/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

The show is now over for the Hellgate: London that we once knew. The game's servers and the official website have poofed, and stranded fans will now turn their attention towards HanbitSoft's grand plans to revive the troubled title in a free-to-play format, complete with new content and gameplay changes. HanbitSoft's press release did not specify a date for the re-launch, nor did it say which territories it will be servicing, so we're looking at a bit of downtime for the moment.

Scott from the Pumping Irony blog has written about his time spent online during Hellgate's final hours. Plenty of players turned up to see the "end of the world", and many donated their soon-to-be-worthless in-game currency to the War Drive NPC, granting buffs to the masses. Scott's transcript of the last few moments of chat are an indication of the kind of solidarity and sadness that the most faithful fans displayed as their world was crumbling around them. It's all on HanbitSoft now to save these folks from their Hellgate-less existence.

MassivelyHellgate's US/EU servers and website slam shut originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flagshipflagship-studiosfree-to-playhanbitsofthellgatehellgate-londonserversshutdownMon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate: London staying alive through free-to-play]]>http://www.massively.com/2009/01/26/hellgate-london-staying-alive-through-free-to-play/http://www.massively.com/2009/01/26/hellgate-london-staying-alive-through-free-to-play/http://www.massively.com/2009/01/26/hellgate-london-staying-alive-through-free-to-play/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Always named in the popular lists of "Failures for 2007/2008", Hellgate: London may not be dying off as easily as we thought. As reported by Gamasutra, HanbitSoft has announced that they will be keeping the game alive as a free-to-play model after the initial closure date of January 31st, 2009. They can do this (despite Namco-Bandai's decision to close the game) because they own the IP, engines and source codes for the Flagship Studios title.

In November of last year, we touched on this a bit, as HanbitSoft mentioned their continued efforts with the game, which might even include an expansion. At that time, the rumor was that it would be available only in Asia, yet this newest announcement is for global availability. This brings up an interesting thought though: If Hellgate: London can do it, can the others?

MassivelyHellgate: London staying alive through free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pflagship-studiosfree-to-playgamasutrahanbitsofthellgate-londonnamco-bandaiMon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Red 5 Studios interview: How to fail-proof your MMO]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/12/04/red-5-studios-interview-how-to-fail-proof-your-mmo/http://www.massively.com/2008/12/04/red-5-studios-interview-how-to-fail-proof-your-mmo/http://www.massively.com/2008/12/04/red-5-studios-interview-how-to-fail-proof-your-mmo/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


During a recent interview with Ten Ton Hammer, Red 5 Studios' Mark Kern described his views on why games like Tabula Rasa and Hellgate: London had recently failed, and how his colleagues at Red 5 are making sure an early game closure isn't in their future.

"I think the key is that you need to marry whatever your theme is to the nature of the gameplay," Kern advised. "I think that the issue comes in when you take a theme or a genre that doesn't fit with the style of gameplay that you're making. I think that's some of what you've seen with these failed games. If you just go out and try to make a WoW-type of game with a few tweaks, then try to place the sci-fi genre on top of it, I think you've got some big issues there."

Ouch! We can only speculate as to which game he's referring, but we tend to agree with his point here. Shoot us your opinions on a topic that's probably not going to go away any time soon.

MassivelyRed 5 Studios interview: How to fail-proof your MMO originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>failgame-closurehellgate-londonmark-kernred-5-studiosstudio-closuretabula-rasaThu, 04 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hanbitsoft admits their Hellgate rights don't extend to US/EU]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/11/05/hanbitsoft-admits-their-hellgate-rights-dont-extend-to-us-eu/http://www.massively.com/2008/11/05/hanbitsoft-admits-their-hellgate-rights-dont-extend-to-us-eu/http://www.massively.com/2008/11/05/hanbitsoft-admits-their-hellgate-rights-dont-extend-to-us-eu/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Hellgate London's state of flux over the past week has been somewhat infuriating for us to follow. No doubt it must be even moreso for players who just want to know if they'll get their game back after Namco Bandai's servers close in the spring. First it seemed that Hanbitsoft would be rezzing the game worldwide, then it was less clear based on Redbana's development. Now it seems even Hanbitsoft has acknowledged that they don't have rights to the game in the US and EU.

WarCry is reporting based on a press release from Namco specifically stating that they own the IP for publishing here in the states and over in Europe. Gamecyte follows that announcement up with a more detailed look, noting that Hanbitsoft would like to run the game and do some profitsharing with Namco for these two lucrative markets. Namco's position on the matter, though, seems to be that the service is closing and everyone is moving on. So - for the time being - it looks like we'll be bidding farewell to Hellgate London.

MassivelyHanbitsoft admits their Hellgate rights don't extend to US/EU originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hanbitsofthellgate-londonipnamco-bandaipublishingWed, 05 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[HanbitSoft plans Hellgate: London relaunch and new expansion]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/11/03/hanbitsoft-plans-hellgate-london-relaunch-and-new-expansion/http://www.massively.com/2008/11/03/hanbitsoft-plans-hellgate-london-relaunch-and-new-expansion/http://www.massively.com/2008/11/03/hanbitsoft-plans-hellgate-london-relaunch-and-new-expansion/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Hellgate: London IP saga continues. While we had some dire news that the servers will go dark at the end of January, we also know that development for the title is still being done in Redbana's California office... just not for which region. The latest word we've received on this seems to indicate the continuity of Hellgate: London, but to date this is only confirmed for service in Asia -- so we cannot (yet) offer a definitive, "Yes, HG:L will continue for North America and EU." That being said, Gamasutra has picked up on company blog posts by HanbitSoft's Global PR Manager, Janelle. One is a definitive announcement that HanbitSoft owns both the Hellgate: London and Mythos IP, while the other is more telling.

Janelle republished an email sent from Hellgate: London's Product Manager about the future of the title.The message in its entirety, as shown on the Game Espresso site for HanbitSoft, is reprinted below the cut.

Continue reading HanbitSoft plans Hellgate: London relaunch and new expansion

MassivelyHanbitSoft plans Hellgate: London relaunch and new expansion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiabreakingeueuropean-unionfantasygamasutrahanbitsofthellgate-londonhglhorrorjanellemythosnorth-americaredbanaredbana-usarumorrumorsMon, 03 Nov 2008 13:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Are all MMOs just extended vaporware?]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/11/02/are-all-mmos-just-extended-vaporware/http://www.massively.com/2008/11/02/are-all-mmos-just-extended-vaporware/http://www.massively.com/2008/11/02/are-all-mmos-just-extended-vaporware/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Massively multiplayer online games can be a difficult industry to break into and succeed. For every Blizzard or Sony Online Entertainment, there are several smaller companies brimming with ideas about how to inject change into the MMO market. Some succeed by breaking from the World of Warcraft paradigm. Most do not.

Writer James Matson writes about these titles that begin full of promise but ultimately meet a chilly reception by MMO gamers, in an article at Atomic. He touches on the fact that the sometimes high price of the box sale paired with monthly MMO fees, sustained over some months, leads to some serious disappointment when the MMO fails and the servers go dark. Matson specifically cites the examples of Auran's Fury and (what is currently Namco-Bandai's) Hellgate: London. "This would appear to the be the first tendrils of a new kind of gaming plague that's arrived with MMOs, games that can be rendered useless due to mismanagement, poor sales or just bad luck," Matson writes.

Continue reading Are all MMOs just extended vaporware?

MassivelyAre all MMOs just extended vaporware? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atomicauranblizzardflagship-studiosfuryhellgate-londonjames-matsonnamco-bandairedbanaredbana-usasoesony-online-entertainmentt3-entertainmentworld-of-warcraftwowwow-paradigmSun, 02 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate London status: Purgatory]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/10/30/hellgate-london-status-purgatory/http://www.massively.com/2008/10/30/hellgate-london-status-purgatory/http://www.massively.com/2008/10/30/hellgate-london-status-purgatory/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


There have been so many twists and turns with the future of Hellgate: London (and Mythos) that it's hard to know what will happen next. We've heard on a few occasions that Hellgate: London was about to face its demise, only to be saved. Adding to the confusion was the dispute over who even owned Hellgate: London, Flagship Studios or HanbitSoft. After Flagship folded, HanbitSoft's claims seemed to be genuine, and the IP was left in the hands of T3 Entertainment. Subscriptions, however, were then suspended. Shortly afterwards Namco-Bandai swept in, prominently featured HG: L on its site... and subsequently removed it. Despite this, the game has been kept running ever since, although Namco-Bandai's stated that the servers will shut down at the end of January, 2009.

Gaming site HellForge has picked up on what we're not ready to call anything more than 'rumor' at this point, but something that perhaps bodes well for the future of the game. Another company name has been thrown into the mix: Redbana (based in Taiwan, connected with the aforementioned T3 Entertainment). HellForge writes: "Further research leads to findings of a new San Francisco office for the company, which is where Hellgate offices were located previously." This seems to be in line with what we reported about the future of both titles in August. While we hope this information could be a positive sign for Hellgate: London and perhaps Mythos as well, at this point it's still largely conjecture.

[Via Blue's News]

MassivelyHellgate London status: Purgatory originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-roperflagship-studioshanbitsofthellforgehellgate-londonhglhorrormmo-industrymythosnamco-bandairedbanarumorrumorst3-entertainmenttaiwanThu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate: London to shut down in February]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/10/24/hellgate-london-to-shut-down-in-february/http://www.massively.com/2008/10/24/hellgate-london-to-shut-down-in-february/http://www.massively.com/2008/10/24/hellgate-london-to-shut-down-in-february/#commentsFiled under: ,


The game's official site has the news that Hellgate: London is going to go sunset at the beginning of next year. February will see the closure of all of the game's servers. Until that point, the service will continue to be free of charge. All the way back in July we reported on the suspension of new subscriptions and the acquisition of the property by Namco-Bandai. Now it appears as though the company has decided to cut its losses.

The announcement on the game's site spins it in a very upbeat way, stating that they would "continue to support customers of PC game Hellgate[TM]: London with online server support and play through January 31, 2009 despite the closure of Flagship Studios." We've heard no further details on the service since the middle of the summer; hopefully we'll have further details for you soon.

MassivelyHellgate: London to shut down in February originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingflagship-studioshellgate-londonnamco-bandaiFri, 24 Oct 2008 18:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Mythic's Mark Jacobs really wanted to see Age of Conan succeed]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/09/02/mythics-mark-jacobs-really-wanted-to-see-age-of-conan-succeed/http://www.massively.com/2008/09/02/mythics-mark-jacobs-really-wanted-to-see-age-of-conan-succeed/http://www.massively.com/2008/09/02/mythics-mark-jacobs-really-wanted-to-see-age-of-conan-succeed/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John, speaking with head of Mythic Entertainment Mark Jacobs, has been exploring a line of questioning about the MMO industry in general. They noted the high failure rate for the genre, and the equally high expectations that are now placed on new games by fans and industry commentators. Jacobs offered up, as part of this discussion, some analysis on why Hellgate: London didn't make it, and why Funcom's Age of Conan has been having so many problems over their long first summer of launch. Of Hellgate, Jacobs noted that it's not sufficient simply to have really talented people on the team. That's a straightforward process. In addition to that, "sometimes just having talent is not enough. You need leadership and you need patience. And what's most important - something that so many developers forget - is you also need to deflate the ego a little bit."

About Conan, which the site categorizes as 'failing to deliver on promises to players, Jacobs states that he actually really wanted the game to succeed. Now, with a summer of frustrations and player unrest behind them, he thinks they're in a tight spot. Ultimately, he just wants someone to show the world that MMOs don't have to be World of Warcraft to succeed. As for Mythic, "If we don't succeed with EA behind us, the 'Warhammer' IP behind us, with one of the most experienced teams in the industry, that's not going to be good for the industry. We need to show the world that it's not just Blizzard who can make a great game, and that the audience is absolutely willing to try new things and to play a game other than 'WoW."
Warhammer Online Coverage Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!

MassivelyMythic's Mark Jacobs really wanted to see Age of Conan succeed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaochellgate-londoninterviewmark-jacobsmythic-entertainmentopinionwarwarhammer-onlineTue, 02 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Flagship Studios' founder finally speaks]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/08/18/flagship-studios-founder-finally-speaks/http://www.massively.com/2008/08/18/flagship-studios-founder-finally-speaks/http://www.massively.com/2008/08/18/flagship-studios-founder-finally-speaks/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


If you've been wondering just exactly what happened with Flagship Studios over the past year or so, then you should really give a listen to the thoughts of Bill Roper, founder of Flagship. The poor guy pretty much spills his guts to 1up.com's Jeff Green about everything that happened and is happening with the people and projects from Flagship. It's a surprisingly lengthy interview, clocking in at eight pages. It's totally worth the read if you want a gritty insight into just how much went into not only Hellgate: London and Mythos, but the team that put those titles together.

It's not often that we get such a wide and deep look into a developer. We're counting ourselves lucky that Bill seems to be such a open and forthcoming guy, otherwise we might have never known anything beyond rumors and speculation. If everyone previously involved with Flagship lands on their feet, it will be in no small part due to Bill Roper's efforts.

MassivelyFlagship Studios' founder finally speaks originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1upbill-roperflagshipflagship-studioshellgate-londonmythosMon, 18 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate: London saved by Namco-Bandai]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/23/hellgate-london-saved-by-namco-bandai/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/23/hellgate-london-saved-by-namco-bandai/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/23/hellgate-london-saved-by-namco-bandai/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Didn't really think we'd be talking about this game ever again, but it's nice to be wrong. Tipster Matt let us know that a Senior Director for Business development has posted to the official Hellgate:London forums letting everyone know that 'word' is coming soon. On Monday Ping0 employee Tiggs posted to the same thread, telling folks not to worry. Now it appears that, via this post by Namco's Zack "Ozuri" Karlsson, there really is nothing to worry about.

Says Karlsson, "The game is up, the servers are not going away in the short term and any major changes to status will be communicated in advance. I'd like to ask for your patience as we try to figure it all out and chart a new course. We value your community, your commitment, and your passion for Hellgate and we will make sure that any solution that we architect will support all of you as best as we are able. Thanks again. We hope to have a real announcement shortly." Vague, yes, but one thing isn't vague at all: Hellgate: London now has an official game page on the Namco-Bandai site. Looks like the legacy of Flagship will live on!
Thanks for the tip, Matt!

MassivelyHellgate: London saved by Namco-Bandai originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingflagship-studioshellgatehellgate-londonnamco-bandaiWed, 23 Jul 2008 08:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate: London subscriptions suspended]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/hellgate-london-subscriptions-suspended/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/hellgate-london-subscriptions-suspended/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/hellgate-london-subscriptions-suspended/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Exploring and fighting in post-apocalyptic London used to require a subscription but not anymore. Flagship Studios has announced that active Hellgate: London subscribers will not be billed nor will any new subscriptions be accepted. Normally, this would be welcoming news to players, but it's not because there is a chance that Hellgate: London could shutdown operations. Staff went first, and the forums are going next, tonight both the official Mythos and Hellgate: London forums will be pulled offline at 12AM.

Due to financial circumstances Flagship Studios has come under hardships and had to layoff almost its entire staff. Ping0, an online services subsidiary was also affected. The fallout is a huge confusing mess, and Flagship used the rights to its intellectual property as collateral on loans for operating expenses. Now that Flagship is more or less collapsing HanbitSoft is stepping in trying to reign in both intellectual properties, Hellgate: London and Mythos, due to Flagship Studios defaulting on their original agreement.

MassivelyHellgate: London subscriptions suspended originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingflagshipflagship-studioshellgatehellgate-londonhglsubscriptionsFri, 18 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[HanbitSoft barbs Flagship Studios]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/hanbitsoft-barbs-flagship-studios/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/hanbitsoft-barbs-flagship-studios/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/hanbitsoft-barbs-flagship-studios/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

A few days ago, Bill Roper exclaimed Flagship Studios still has a pulse, but only the founders and core management remain employed. There was no official word on what role the company will encompass now but a focus on casual games is rumored. The statement also noted that Flagship Studios owns the rights to all its technology and intellectual properties, including Hellgate: London and Mythos. HanbitSoft doesn't think so, and the verbal spar is heating up.

In the latest war of words taking place on the Korean gaming site ThisIsGame, translation by Hellgate Guru. HanbitSoft is making it known that they are preparing for a legal battle. A lawsuit against Bill Roper and the founding directors of Flagship Studios is already underway. HanbitSoft will also be visiting Comerica bank next week in order to secure to the Global intellectual property rights to Hellgate: London. HanbitSoft also stated, "Flagship not only lacked effort, but were only looking for personal gain. Firing all of the Flagship employees in order to protect the personal interests of its founding members only shows how selfish and irresponsible they are." HanbitSoft owns a 9.5% stake in Flagship Studios and went on record to state they tried to bailout Flagship Studios numerous times.

MassivelyHanbitSoft barbs Flagship Studios originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill-ropercomericaflagshipflagship-studioshanbitsofthanbitsoft-versus-flagshiphellgate-guruhellgate-londonhgllegal-battlemythoswho-owns-hellgate-and-mythosFri, 18 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mythos, Hellgate forums scheduled to die tonight]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/mythos-hellgate-forums-scheduled-to-die-tonight/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/mythos-hellgate-forums-scheduled-to-die-tonight/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/18/mythos-hellgate-forums-scheduled-to-die-tonight/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Flagship Studios rep Tiggs announced last night on the official Mythos and Hellgate London forums that both forums will be shutting down effective midnight tonight. The message was very brief, and didn't give any specific clues as to when, if ever, the forums will be back. Tiggs simply said: "We would like to thank everyone for being a part of this wonderful community and we hope to see you all again soon."

This comes after Flagship was forced to lay off almost its entire staff. Presently, HanbitSoft is trying to get its hands on both projects, but both companies face legal hurdles that must be overcome before the plan can move forward. Lead Mythos developer Travis Baldree made a forum post earlier this week expressing his hope that the team will be able to get back together and resume work on its game. We hope so too!

[Via WarCry]

MassivelyMythos, Hellgate forums scheduled to die tonight originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betacloseclosedclosingflagship-studiosforumshanbitsofthellgate-londonmythosshutting-downtiggsFri, 18 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Flagship Studios: It's worse than that; he's dead, Jim]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/12/flagship-studios-its-worse-than-that-hes-dead-jim/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/12/flagship-studios-its-worse-than-that-hes-dead-jim/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/12/flagship-studios-its-worse-than-that-hes-dead-jim/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Although our previous coverage of Flagship Studios -- creators of Mythos and Hellgate: London -- mentioned that a large, undisclosed portion of the staff were laid off, it was only today that we discovered the true extent of the damage. Our mothership site Joystiq has posted the news that the entirety of the team has been fired with 30-day pensions.

So what's going to happen to Hellgate and Mythos? Despite their earlier denial, there is some truth to the Hanbitsoft rumor, except that they'll be receiving the IP rights to Mythos instead of Hellgate, as was previously said. Hellgate will go to Dallas-based Comerica, a financial services company. Hanbitsoft, being a Korean game company, and distributor of the Starcraft license in Korea, might choose to keep Mythos alive, but who knows what Comerica will do with Hellgate? As of this writing, neither title's official sites have posted any information about Flagship's closure. We'll bring you news on the fate of these two titles as soon as we know anything ourselves.

MassivelyFlagship Studios: It's worse than that; he's dead, Jim originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingcomericafiredflagship-studioshanbitsofthellgate-londonmythosSat, 12 Jul 2008 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Flagship Studios confirms staff layoffs]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/11/flagship-studios-confirms-staff-layoffs/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/11/flagship-studios-confirms-staff-layoffs/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/11/flagship-studios-confirms-staff-layoffs/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Flagship Studios, developer of Hellgate: London and Mythos, has confirmed that it has handed out the dreaded pink slip to an undisclosed number of employees from both the development team as well as from Ping0, an online services subsidiary. While there has been no details discussing the reason for the layoffs, it's likely tied into the issues surrounding the Hellgate: London title.

A statement issued by Flagship last month, meant to reassure players, read "All our Directors and Founders are still working at Flagship, and all of them are working on Hellgate: London or Mythos. The team size for Hellgate is as big now as when we shipped." That's not necessarily a positive thing -- are these Directors and Founders having to double up on duties previously performed by the now-unemployed? We'll keep an ear to the ground for more specific information as it appears.

MassivelyFlagship Studios confirms staff layoffs originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingflagship-studioshellgate-londonlayoffsmythosping0Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Hellgate:London patch update 1.3d now live]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/10/hellgate-london-patch-update-1-3d-now-live/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/10/hellgate-london-patch-update-1-3d-now-live/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/10/hellgate-london-patch-update-1-3d-now-live/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

All the scuttlebutt regarding fleeing Hellgate:London developers and programmers didn't stop the 1.3d patch from hitting the servers yesterday. The refreshing patch introduces changes to gameplay, a rebalancing act to the calculations behind rank experience, and further eradications to pesky bugs occurred which will help keep the mean streets of Hellgate:London crash free. The full 1.3d are listed on the official website or you can hit the jump below.

Frequent displeasure remains constantly expressed in our Hellgate:London post threads. If you are still looking for an admittance of failures from someone at Flagship Studios, Max Schaefer, operations chief and co-founder recently acknowledged mistakes were made and lessons learned. The main one being the grandiosity in the overall vision for the game and an early launch that more or less turned Hellgate:London into a recovery process. Still there is a fanbase, and it was well received in South Korea. The developers are working hard, and hopefully with enough patches it will prove to be a better experience for those willing to give it a second chance. Have you?

Continue reading Hellgate:London patch update 1.3d now live

MassivelyHellgate:London patch update 1.3d now live originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flagshipflagship-studioshellgatehellgate-londonhellgate-patch-1.3dhglpatchesThu, 10 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Flagship holds forth on lessons learned]]>http://www.massively.com/2008/07/07/flagship-holds-forth-on-lessons-learned/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/07/flagship-holds-forth-on-lessons-learned/http://www.massively.com/2008/07/07/flagship-holds-forth-on-lessons-learned/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Max Schaefer, operations chief and co-founder of Flagship Studios, is forthright about the mistakes made on Hellgate: London. In a lengthy interview with eurogamer.net he explains how that game tried to be too many things to too many people, and ended up being rushed to market without being 'kept in the oven long enough.' They simply took too much on for a fledgling studio without any existing technologies to cope with.

Flagship is now working on a brand new MMO, the free-to-play microtransaction-driven Mythos, which is nothing like as 'hardcore' as Hellgate. Resemblances to the likes of Diablo or WoW are justified by Schaefer in terms of the relief they give players; the idea is to cultivate a sense of 'familiar novelty', in which the gameplay is comfortable enough to welcome a player in and get them settled, but innovative enough to excite and keep interest.

Continue reading Flagship holds forth on lessons learned

MassivelyFlagship holds forth on lessons learned originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>flagshipflagship-studioshellgatehellgate-londonmythosMon, 07 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EST