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[edit] Hellgate: London Goes Gold, Demo Coming This Week

San Francisco, CA (October 16, 2007) – Demons of London beware! Your reign of terror is officially coming to an end! Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai Games, and Flagship Studios are excited to announce that Hellgate™: London has gone to gold master and will be available exclusively for the PC on October 31st in North America.

"This has been an amazing journey for us and we couldn't be more proud of what we've accomplished," said Flagship Studios CEO, Bill Roper. "We're anxious to get Hellgate: London into gamers' hands and we can't wait to play right along with them."

And for gamers who can't wait until Halloween to get their Demon-slaying on, Flagship Studios is releasing a singleplayer demo this Thursday, October 18th.

The singleplayer demo represents just a small taste of the Hellgate: London experience. Gamers can choose from two of the game's six character classes: the Blademaster, a master of swordplay and action-packed melee combat, or the Marksman, a cool, calculating, long-range specialist.

In the demo, these heroes are able to battle through a small handful of storyline and side quests as they adventure through the streets and tunnels around London's Holborn Station.

Hellgate: London combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies, and events. Whether online or off, a player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

Hellgate Halloween is fast approaching! Stay tuned for more news at: www.hellgatelondon.com.

[edit] Flagship Studios Announces Completion of Mythos Alpha Program

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., (April 25th, 2007) Ping0, LLC, a joint-venture between Flagship Studios and HanbitSoft, Inc., today announced the successful completion of the alpha test program for the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game Mythos™ developed by Flagship Studios Seattle.

“We would like to thank the Flagship community for their assistance and invaluable feedback during the Mythos alpha test,” said Phil Shenk, Creative Director of Mythos and founding member of Flagship Studios, “We will now spend some time retuning and expanding the Mythos universe and are looking forward to welcoming back testers to Uld for the closed beta program”.

Mythos is an online, action role-playing game that is free to download and free to play. Set in the land of Uld – a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epoch-long war of darkness – players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments. With an elegant point-and-click interface and an accessible “isometric” perspective, Mythos is poised to have near-universal appeal. The game allows thousands of players to interact within the same world while using mostly “Instanced” dungeons to create unique gaming experiences suited for both solo and group-minded players.

As players journey into Mythos’ ever-expanding universe, they select one of three races (Human, Elves, or Gremlins) and opt to play as a particular character class using a huge variety of skills and items. Through heroic quests players search for gold, gems, armor, and weapons, while unlocking the secrets of Uld. Mythos presents a constantly expanding, continuously updated world where something new lurks around every corner.

[edit] Ping0 and Flagship Studios Unveil Mythos

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., (March 22, 2007) Ping0, LLC, a joint-venture between Flagship Studios and HanbitSoft, Inc., today revealed details on Mythos™ the highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Flagship Studios Seattle. The announcement coincides with the expansion of the Mythos alpha test.

“For Mythos, we started with the revolutionary style of gameplay we pioneered in the Diablo franchise. Then, by offering it free to download and play, we make it even more accessible to players. By designing the Mythos world from the ground-up to be an ever-changing place, we can quickly and seamlessly implement new ideas from a variety of inspirations,” said Phil Shenk, Creative Director of Mythos and founding member of Flagship Studios, “Through the continued support of the Flagship community, we are striving to create what will be one of the most innovative role-playing games of recent years.”

Mythos is an online, action role-playing game that is free to download and free to play. Set in the land of Uld – a fantasy world arising from the ashes of an epoch-long war of darkness – players assume the roles of fantasy heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest through entirely randomized dungeons and environments. With an elegant point-and-click interface and an accessible “isometric” perspective, Mythos is poised to have near-universal appeal. The game allows thousands of players to interact within the same world while using mostly “Instanced” dungeons to create unique gaming experiences suited for both solo and group-minded players.

As players journey into Mythos’ ever-expanding universe, they select one of three races (Human, Elves, or Gremlins) and opt to play as a particular character class using a huge variety of skills and items. Through heroic quests players search for gold, gems, armor, and weapons, while unlocking the secrets of Uld. Mythos presents a constantly expanding, continuously updated world where something new lurks around every corner.

Mythos is an online role-playing game developed by Flagship Seattle, a subsidiary of Flagship Studios. Mythos is currently exercising the online technology and services behind the multiplayer component of the highly-anticipated action role-playing game Hellgate: London. Mythos will be digitally distributed in North America and Europe in 2007 by Ping0. HanbitSoft, Flagship Studios’ partner in Ping0, will be responsible for distributing Mythos in Asia.

For more information and to sign-up for future testing please visit the official Mythos site at www.mythos.com

[edit] Ping0 and Flagship Studios Announce Friends and Family Closed Alpha for Mythos

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., (February 7th, 2007) Ping0, LLC, a joint-venture between Flagship Studios and HanbitSoft, Inc., today announced plans to begin a "Friends and Family" closed alpha test for the upcoming online role-playing game Mythos.

The Mythos friends and family alpha test will commence on February 7th with a group of about one hundred fifty individuals, composed of employees from Flagship Studios and HanbitSoft along with a select group of outside contacts. The opening of public testing will coincide with the launch of the official Mythos website at www.mythos.com where gamers can get access to a wide variety of assets and information, and where alpha testers can report bugs and suggest ideas towards its continued development.

"The beginning of the friends and family closed alpha is a milestone in the development of Mythos", said Phil Shenk, Creative Director of Mythos and founding member of Flagship Studios. "We can't wait for the feedback from our close friends, and soon, from the larger community of dedicated Flagship fans. We are excited to be rolling out this key part of the Flagship Studios experience."

[edit] Hellgate: London Release Window Announced

San Francisco, CA (January 8, 2007) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced a summer 2007 worldwide ship window for the highly-anticipated online action RPG Hellgate: London™, the first original PC title from premier developer Flagship Studios.

"We are all committed to making Hellgate: London absolutely the best game possible," said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. "The anticipation surrounding the game is immense and we are looking forward to its launch being a truly worldwide event."

Hellgate: London combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

Hellgate: London is currently being featured on the show floor of the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 8 - 11 in Central Hall at the Microsoft booth (#7145) and Intel booth (# 7153) and in South Hall at the Dell booth (Level 3, #30363).

[edit] Flagship Seattle Announced

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 14th, 2006) -- Flagship Studios today announced that it has expanded operations with the formation of a new development studio: Flagship Seattle. Flagship Studios is already one of the most respected independent videogame developers in North America. The creation of Flagship Seattle plays an integral part in the company's development plans.

The studio is led by Travis Baldree, Project Director. Baldree previously worked at Wild Tangent as the Lead Designer on the popular free-to-play role-playing game Fate. Flagship Seattle has a diverse history of game development. Other team members have worked on titles including Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege and SWAT 3.

Flagship Seattle is currently working on Mythos, an online role-playing game that will be used to test the networking technology behind the multiplayer component of the highly-anticipated action role-playing game Hellgate: London. Mythos will be digitally distributed by Flagship Studios subsidiary Ping0, LLC in North America and Europe in 2007. HanbitSoft, Flagship Studios’ partner in Ping0, will be responsible for distributing Mythos in Asia

"We were very impressed with the work of Travis from when we were first shown Wild Tangent's Fate at E3 2005", said Phil Shenk, Creative Director of Mythos and founding member of Flagship Studios. "Both he and the Flagship Seattle team have an exceptional pedigree in games development. Their skills and expertise make them real assets."

"To be involved in the formation of Flagship Seattle is an honor", said Travis Baldree, Project Director of Flagship Seattle. "We are sure that Mythos will put Flagship Seattle on the map, and in turn will become an integral part of the Flagship Studios experience".

[edit] FSS + NBG + EA

San Francisco, CA (November 6, 2006) -- Flagship Studios and global video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. announced today that the two companies have entered into a strategic relationship with Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), in which NAMCO BANDAI and EA will co-publish the highly-anticipated PC game Hellgate: London in Europe and North America. As part of the agreement, EA will handle marketing, sales and distribution of the game, while NAMCO BANDAI will continue to work with Flagship Studios on the development of the game and numerous ancillary partnerships including novels, toys, manga, comics and more. The new agreement does not affect Flagship Studio's granting of rights to NAMCO BANDAI to publish future Hellgate: London products.

"Hellgate: London is more than just a highly-anticipated PC game. It is the cornerstone of a franchise and that requires a different approach than the average product," said Makoto Iwai, Senior Vice President of the Development Group at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. "With an industry-leading marketing and sales network, our co-publisher EA brings expert knowledge and resources to our partnership that will ensure this AAA title will reach the largest market possible."

"We are thrilled that NAMCO BANDAI chose EA as its partner on this highly-anticipated game," said David DeMartini, Vice President & General Manager, EA Partners. "We are very excited to be involved with Flagship Studios' first title. The talent at Flagship Studios and NAMCO BANDAI, combined with EA's marketing expertise and publishing resources sets the stage for a blockbuster worldwide launch."

"This partnership assures the best possible outcome for Hellgate: London from both a development and customer-reach standpoint." said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. "By working with both companies in their undisputable areas of strength and expertise, we can bring the game to as many people as possible while maintaining our development focus and schedule at Flagship Studios."

Hellgate: London is the first original title from premier developer, Flagship Studios. Since the game was announced in 2004, it has received an overwhelming amount of attention including its appearance on more than 30 magazine covers worldwide in addition to multiple industry nominations and awards. Hellgate: London is an action-driven role-playing game that offers infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique heroes.

[edit] Hunter Announced

San Francisco, CA -- (November 7, 2006) -- Flagship Studios today released details on the Hunter faction, the third playable character faction in Hellgate: London, the first original PC title from premier developer, Flagship. The Hunter faction joins previously announced Cabalist and Templar factions, offering gamers freedom and flexibility as they take up arms against the demon hordes.

"Since the announcement of Hellgate: London we’ve had a lot of requests for a class of characters that place an emphasis on player skill through mid-to-long ranged weapon attacks,” said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of Flagship Studios. “By removing auto-aiming and target-locking, the Hunter has been designed to provide a game play experience which will appeal directly to FPS players.”

Hunters are highly-trained ex-military operatives and members of secret government agencies who are most comfortable clinging to the shadows and dealing with threats in their own deadly ways. But after the Demon invasion, these rogues switch their crosshairs from one another to the monsters that are threatening their world, utilizing hyper-advanced weaponry that mixes new technologies and theoretical science to stay a few steps ahead of the Cabalists and the Templar.

The archetype of the Hunter is obscure, cloaked in mystery and subterfuge. In one way he is the Assassin, the Ninja, the knife in the dark. In other ways, he is the Ronin, a highly-trained warrior with no master. And yet more, he is the Destroyer, a force of blazing gunfire and deadly accuracy that lays waste to any foe that stands in his way.

Hellgate: London combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

[edit] Flagship at Comic Con 2006

San Francisco, CA (July 19, 2006) -- Namco Bandai Games and Flagship Studios are happy to announce some exciting happenings at this week's San Diego Comic-Con. Flagship Studios and its partners will be displaying Hellgate: London's latest and greatest cinematic for Comic-Con fans to enjoy. Con fans will also be able to pick up a copy of the exclusive Issue #0 of the Hellgate: London comic and have a glimpse at the first Hellgate: London collectible statues.

In addition, Hellgate: London's Cabalist will make multiple appearances at the convention starting Thursday, July 20th and continuing through Saturday, July 22nd. The Cabalist will hand out exclusive comics, sign autographs, and pose for photos with Comic-Con attendees.

Hellgate: London is an action driven role-playing game that offers infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of Demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

[edit] Flagship and Dark Horse Partner for Hellgate Comic

San Francisco, CA (May 3, 2006) -- Premier video games developer Flagship Studios today announced a partnership with Dark Horse Comics to produce a comic book based on Hellgate: London, the first original PC title from Flagship.

The comic book provides the background story behind Hellgate: London. Issue "0" begins when MI5 service agent Lyra Darius discovers a human charnel house in London whilst investigating the affairs of recently resigned Home Office Minister, Lord Sumerisle. Soon afterwards, Lyra is entangled in a bloody conspiracy with the Knights Templar in the build-up to the Battle of All Hallows' Eve.

This exclusive Issue "0" comic is written by Ian Edginton, the critically acclaimed author of Scarlet Traces and the recent War of the Worlds web comic adaptation. Edginton teams up with Superman and Preacher artist Steve Pugh to explore this demon-ravaged metropolis in comic form. Issue "0" is to be given away at the E3 2006 tradeshow on May 10th -- 12th.

"Dark Horse publishes extremely high-quality comics and has partnered with some of the most exciting brands and biggest companies in the world," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of Flagship Studios. "We've worked very closely with Ian and Steve to ensure that the comic will provide the perfect background and insight into the world of Hellgate: London. And since both of them are friends and residents of the city itself, the end result is a spectacular collaboration."

Hellgate: London combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

[edit] New Character Class for Hellgate Unveiled

San Francisco, CA (April 11, 2006) -- Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today released details on the second character class that expectant gamers can play in HELLGATE: LONDON, the first original PC title from premier developer Flagship Studios.

Set 30 years in the future, HELLGATE: LONDON introduces players to a world devastated by a demonic invasion where mankind has gone underground to survive. The Cabal is an organization that brings together the disciplines of fringe science and arcane practices in order to unleash the inner potential of Mankind’s spirit. As the Templar seek to protect the world from the forces of darkness, Cabalists come together to study it. Some yearn for the promise of power while others hold true to the axiom of keeping their friends close and their enemies closer.

Delvers of arcane knowledge, students of the dark arts and explorers on the edge of science, Cabalists are HELLGATE: LONDON'S spell-casters. Summoners of demons and controllers of primal forces, Cabalists use the demons' own powers as a weapon to stave off the forces of Hell. Using “black” magic and arcane weaponry as their primary means of battling the demonic hordes, they literally fight fire with fire and blood with blood. Some have been so touched by the dark forces they wield that they even display the traits of their enemies, ever riding the razor’s edge between good and evil, control and corruption.

The spells of the Cabalist fall into three schools. Summoning spells allow the Cabalist to capture, control and even train the minions of Hell. When invoked, these powers summon demons from the netherworld and force them to fight against their kindred. Spectral spells summon dark forces from the spectral plane, which can cause colossal damage to any enemy. Transformation spells bestow the Cabalist with greater powers by modifying their appearance to mimic demonic characteristics such as horns, spikes, claws and elongated limbs.

"The Cabalist class has been a closely guarded secret since the game’s conception," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of FLAGSHIP STUDIOS. "Fans have been asking us for quite a while if we were going to have a character class that focused on spells. With the Cabalist, we know they are going to get exactly what they’ve been dreaming of."

HELLGATE: LONDON combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

[edit] Hellgate Manga Coming

Los Angeles, CA (February 23, 2006) -- Publishing powerhouse TOKYOPOP, leader of the Manga Revolution, and the gaming gurus of Flagship Studios, creators of innovative entertainment software including the mega-successful Diablo franchise at Blizzard North®, proudly announce their partnership to bring the most anticipated computer game, Hellgate: London, to manga form.

Hellgate: London combines the depth of role-playing games with the action of first-person titles while offering infinite playability with randomly-created levels, items, and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly-customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly- generated equipment allow players to develop their own unique hero.

According to TOKYOPOP Publisher Mike Kiley, "Hellgate: London is the kind of property we love to make into a manga. The characters, story and setting are fantastic and the design work is nothing short of breathtaking."

"We're very pleased to be working with a publisher and creative team of the caliber of TOKYOPOP," adds Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. "Their consistently high level of writing and artwork puts them at the top of their field. Having the chance to work with them to realize Hellgate: London in this medium is simply fantastic."

The Hellgate: London manga is currently scheduled to release day and date with the computer game.

[edit] Flagship Studios Collaborates with WETA

San Francisco, CA (January 26, 2006) — Games developer, Flagship Studios today announces its partnership with Weta Collectibles. Weta Collectibles will create polystone figures of characters and demons featured in Hellgate: London, Flagship Studios’ highly- anticipated game.

“The chance to work with such creative geniuses is simply unbelievable,” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “We’ve all been admirers of their craftsmanship for years, and the amazing quality and detail in their pieces is just another display of their incredible abilities. We’re looking forward to a fantastic collaboration visualizing the characters of Hellgate: London as collectibles.”

“I, along with the team from Weta Workshop, am thrilled to be working alongside Flagship Studios for the upcoming Hellgate: London release. We are very pleased to be involved with this exciting project, and able to bring a range of high-end collectibles to the many fans who no doubt are eagerly waiting the release date. We see this as an exciting opportunity with sculptures based on 3D games rather than movies. As seen in recent times, more and more games are reaching the big screen, showing this is a vibrant area of the entertainment market. From what I have see so far of Hellgate and its design, this is going to be one we will all want to play,” said Richard Taylor, Co-Director, Weta Workshop.

HELLGATE: LONDON combines the depth of role-playing games and action of first-person titles, while offering infinite playability with randomly created levels, items, and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero. For more information about the game log onto www.hellgatelondon.com

[edit] Flagship Studios Unleashes Hell at E3

San Francisco, CA (April 26, 2005) —Freshly formed, but already infamous, games developer Flagship Studios today announces the unveiling of their premier title Hellgate: London at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) May 18-20, 2005. Hellgate: London , an action role-playing game presented in the immersive first-person perspective, introduces a demon-ridden world where the last survivors of humanity must meld science and magic to survive.

Flagship Studios will showcase the game in the booths listed below:

• North American, Japanese, and European publishing partner, Namco ® Hometek booth 824 South Hall
• Asian publishing partner, Hanbitsoft, Inc . Games Infinity booth 624 South Hall
• NVIDIA booth 346 South Hall
• Microsoft booth 305 South Hall

[edit] HanbitSoft and Flagship Announce Hellgate: London

Seoul , Korea April 27, 2005 – Hellgate: London , a cutting-edge Role Playing Game, has been revealed and is attracting worldwide attention.

“Hellgate: London will create new genre which has the greatest assets of both Online games and PC package games.” said Alex Kim, chief executive officer of HanbitSoft. “It is very exciting to open Hellgate: London to the public finally. I truly believe that Hellgate: London will be the biggest success in entire Asian market. Flagship Studios is a company being built by the developers who worked on both Diablo and StarCraft. They know Asian gamers' tastes more than anybody. HanbitSoft, of course, will provide the best marketing and managing for Hellgate: London .”

“Hellgate: London is a dream project for all of us here at Flagship Studios.” said Bill Roper , chief executive officer of Flagship Studios. “We are working closely with our longtime friends at HanbitSoft to bring our first out in Asia . We are dedicated to providing a fantastic play experience to such a passionate gaming community and look forward to continuing our tradition of setting new standards in quality and playability.”

Hellgate: London is a new perspective on RPGs, combining the depth and customizability of Role-Playing games with the immersive excitement of first-person games. Its play is fast-paced without relying upon lightning-fast reflexes to achieve a high level of success or enjoyment.

With dynamically generated levels, massive quantities of randomly created items, chance events and story driven quests, no two gaming experiences are ever the same. Differing levels of rarity and modification potential across items and skills means that every game played a unique event.

While Hellgate: London stands on its own as a single player game, it also provides a compelling cooperative multiplayer experience through our dedicated online gaming destination. By creating unique and individualized game play “instances” within a vast online community, gamers get all of the best parts of traditional massive multiplayer games without the common downsides.

Players create a hero and then battle through innumerable hordes of demons while completing quests and advancing through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly-customizable items, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create a character that is truly unique.

The Hellgate: London teaser cinematic will be shown and the game will be available to play at E3 2005 which is the biggest worldwide game show.

[edit] Namco and Flagship Announce Hellgate: London

SANTA CLARA, Calif., (April 26, 2005) – Leading games publisher and developer Namco Hometek Inc. today announced HELLGATE: LONDON, the first original PC title from premier developer Flagship Studios. HELLGATE: LONDON is a role-playing game set in the immersive first-person perspective. With a completely randomized world that offers a unique experience every time you play, HELLGATE: LONDON introduces a demon-ridden world where the last survivors of the human race must meld science and magic to survive. “HELLGATE:LONDON is an incredibly ambitious title that will break the mold of conventional role-playing games,” said Nobuhiro Kasahara, President and CEO of Namco Hometek, Inc. “With Flagship Studios' unprecedented experience, we are confident that HELLGATE: LONDON will be one of the most anticipated PC games ever.”

With our first game, we intend to create something unique in the world of RPGs," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of Flagship Studios. "By focusing our expertise and creative energy onto this one title, we are crafting a compelling world that combines massive amounts of randomization and customization to offer infinite replayability."

Set twenty-five years in the future, HELLGATE: LONDON introduces a world devastated by a demon invasion and a desolate city scorched by hellfire where mankind has gone underground to survive. Among them are the Templar, an archaic and secret society that foresaw this demonic apocalypse centuries ago. Followers of arcane rites, the Templar combine futuristic technology with ancient artifacts to forge powerful weapons and armor. The mystic sanctuary of the Underground system provides players safe conduct throughout the sprawling metropolis of London as they seek to preserve the bloodline of man and gain a foothold against the minions of darkness.

HELLGATE: LONDON c ombines the depth of role-playing games and action of first-person titles, while offering infinite playability with randomly created levels, items, and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero. For more information about the game log onto www.hellgatelondon.com

[edit] HanbitSoft Forms Asian Publishing Partnership With Flagship Studios

SEOUL, Korea – June 7, 2004 - Video games publisher, Hanbitsoft, Inc. and game developer, Flagship Studios ™, announced today that the two companies have signed a publishing agreement to bring Flagship's first PC game to the Asian marketplace. Flagship Studios was founded in July 2003 by the creators of Diablo ®, one of the best-selling PC game franchises of all time with worldwide sales of over 13 million copies.

“It is very exciting to have a chance to work with Flagship Studios, a company being built by the developers that worked on both the Diablo and Star Craft ® franchises ,” said Alex Kim, chief executive officer of Hanbitsoft. “Their experience in creating two of the most popular games in Korea demonstrates that they understand Asian gamers’ tastes, and I believe that their next work will be a big success here, and in the entire Asian marketplace. To support this endeavor, Hanbitsoft is assigning an exclusive team for the Asian marketplace to provide the best marketing and manage for best game.”

The Diablo series is recognized in Korea as the archetype of today’s many online role-playing games. Although details have not yet been revealed, their upcoming game is expected to set the standards for the next generation of RPGs.

The publishing agreement will cover major storefront and online markets including Korea, China, Taiwan and other Asian countries (excluding Japan). Hanbitsoft will also gain the technical consultation of the Flagship development team, including Bill Roper who is regarded as a top developer in the games industry throughout Asia.

“We have always thought very highly of Hanbitsoft’s marketing ability since our days with Blizzard,” said Bill Roper, chief executive officer of Flagship Studios. “40% of Blizzard’s games were sold in Korea, and the expertise and contribution made by Hanbit towards that success is undeniable. I believe that our game will receive the highest levels of attention and that our players will be well served by their experienced customer service groups and interaction with gamers in the Asian market.” On 4th June, the founding membership of Flagship Studios began a five-day stay to Korea, visiting and experiencing specific Korean culture as well as gaming infrastructures such as PC Baangs and Pro Game Leagues.

[edit] Namco Enters PC Games Market, Forms Partnership With Flagship

SAN JOSE, Calif. - MARCH 18, 2004 - Global video games publisher, Namco Hometek Inc. and recently formed game developer, Flagship Studios, announced today that the two companies have entered a publishing agreement to bring Flagship's first PC game to market. Flagship Studios was founded in July 2003, by the creators of Diablo®, one of the best-selling PC game franchises of all time.

"Flagship Studios is a top notch development group in its talent and industry wisdom," said Nobuhiro Kasahara, president and chief executive officer of Namco Hometek Inc. "We look forward to beginning a strong, long-term relationship with Flagship so that we can make great games together."

"This very exciting deal with Flagship Studios marks Namco's official entry into the PC games publishing business," said Robert Ennis, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Namco Hometek Inc. "Flagship shares our vision in bringing to market the most innovative and exciting games. We are thrilled to be working with such a talented development team."

The team at Flagship Studios began working on their new title in 2003 when the company was formed. While no specific details about the game have been released, Flagship has confirmed its commitment to supporting the online gaming community and is focusing on creating a product with hundreds of hours of addictive and compelling game play. They have also posted initial concept art on their web site reflecting the style of the upcoming game.

"When looking for a publishing partner, it was critical for us to find a company that shares our passion for making great games," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of Flagship Studios. "Namco has fifty years of experience in creating top-quality products and has created some of the most compelling video game franchises in the industry. We look forward to working with them to set new standards in the arena of PC games."

[edit] Flagship Studios Launches with a Splash

San Francisco, Calif. - September 22, 2003 - The creators of the massively popular computer game franchise "Diablo" announced today the formation of their new entertainment software development company, Flagship Studios.

Flagship Studios has been founded by David Brevik, Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, Bill Roper and Kenneth Williams, all former executives at Blizzard North. David Brevik served as President while Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer and Bill Roper held Vice President positions within the company. Ken Williams was Blizzard North's Director of Business and Operations. Together, the management and executive team for Flagship Studios represents over 45 years of game development experience.

Joining them as additional co-founders are David Glenn, Peter Hu, Philip Shenk, and Tyler Thompson. David Glenn and Philip Shenk served as art leads on the games in the "Diablo" series, with David focusing on background artwork and Philip leading the character artists. Peter Hu and Tyler Thompson were senior programmers at Blizzard North and held lead positions on "Diablo II" and the "Diablo II: Lord of Destruction" expansion set.

"Success in our industry is really about the people who make the games," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder. "And we are extremely excited to be starting a new company. We have a unique and compelling game concept, and have formed a team we feel is among the best in the business"

Known for their individual work on some of the best-selling computer games of all time, including the "Warcraft®," "StarCraft®," and "Diablo" series, this core team of experienced artists, programmers, designers and producers have worked together for close to a decade. Notably, they created and developed the wildly successful "Diablo" franchise that has sold in excess of 13 million units worldwide.

"Our desire is to build a focused development house comprised of the very best individuals in the industry," said David Brevik, Chief Visionary Officer and co-founder. "Everyone here is intent on creating great games and compelling worlds where players from all over the world can gather together for endless hours of fun."