Namco Bandai, EA Partner For Hellgate: London

Representatives from Namco Bandai have announced that the company has entered into a publishing agreement with Electronic Arts concerning Flagship Studios' eagerly anticipated first-person action role-playing game for the PC, Hellgate: London. As part of the agreement, Electronic Arts will handle marketing, sales and distribution of the game in Europe and North America, while Namco Bandai will continue to work with Flagship Studios on the development of the game and its related partnerships including novels, toys, manga, and comics. However, the publishing of future Hellgate: London titles, presumably in the form of expansions or sequels, is still under the domain of Namco Bandai, as future releases are not covered by this latest deal. First announced in 2004, Hellgate: London is an action style role-playing game for the PC that is played from either the first or third-person perspective. Designed by former developers from Blizzard North and the creators of the world renowned Diablo franchise, the game promises “infinite playability” through the use of randomly created levels, items, and events. While the game will be playable offline, Flagship Studios also recently announced a joint venture with South Korean publisher and developer HanbitSoft and a deal with San Jose-based Online Game Services Inc. (OGSi) to facilitate the game's online needs. “This partnership assures the best possible outcome for Hellgate: London from both a development and customer-reach standpoint.” commented Flagship Studios' CEO Bill Roper. “By working with both companies in their indisputable 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.”