Last Update: 11/5/07

Hellgate: London

London, 2038. The once great city lies in ruins. A massive, sinister gash in the fabric of our reality gnarls and churns, dominating the horizon as it blends into a permanently darkened sky. The unspeakable cataclysm that befell London threatened to engulf the world as the shadow of the demons fell across the face of mankind.
  • Introduction

    • According to legend, when the ravens depart the Tower of London, it will crumble to rubble and disaster will befall England. As man became more dependent on science, ancient lore and rituals were lost to the antiquity of time.
  • Classes
    • Mankind is a race of survivors. A rebellious few survive in the shadows of their former dominance, combining the holy, ancient, and arcane rites with the fringe sciences of the modern era.
  • Demons
    • Emerging from the swirling chaos of the Hellgate, the demons overwhelmed humanity's defenses. The Hellgate writhes and seethes like a living thing, a tornado of eldritch energies through which the minions of the netherworld surge forth.
  • Mods
    • Some equipment can be modified through the introduction of various technological and magical elements, commonly called Mods. These Mods are typically integrated into pre-defined slots or hard points on an item through a simple procedure that can be performed by any adventurer.

    Bill Roper said,
    Success should be based on skills, level, items, and so on. So it's really based on what makes you successful in an RPG. That being said, it certainly isn't going to hurt a guy if he's good at shooters.

    Additional Game Features:
    • First person perspective!
    • Dynamically generated content and levels including tons of weapon and item drops for scavenging.
    • PvP will be included, although it is likely that it will be for Elite members only. PvP modes may include duels and arena matches
    • Has some combat aspects of a shooter, but is first and foremost an action rpg. Players will not need to scavenge for ammo. The only mention of "ammo" refers to a type of modification.
    • Quest driven story, yet with a lot of freedom to adventure and treasure hunt in hopes of finding the best of the randomly generated goodies, as was so popular in the spiritual predecessor Diablo!

    Proposed Subscription Details (thanks Hellgate Guru!) These are just a few of the features discussed, visit the Hellgate Guru links for more info:
    • Free player accounts as well as "elite" optional subscription play options that are currently stated as $9.95 per month for U.S. players.
    • Free players can access all initial content and play with free or elite players, but elite accounts will receive regular content updates.
    • Elite players can access premier 24/7 customer support via phone and email, and will have priority in case of player ques.
    • Free players may create 3 characters, Elite players up to 12. Elite players will have a 40 item "swap stash" versus 20 items for free players.
    • Elite accounts can access additional play modes.
    • Elite players will have enhanced graphical options for characters.


    Ex-Blizzard employees Bill Roper, Erich Schafer, Max Schafer, and Dave Brevik--the men behind Diablo, are the heart of the development of Hellgate: London.

    Developers: Flagship Studios
    Co-publishers: Namco Bandai Games & Electronic Arts

    The game runs on a proprietary engine developed specifically for this game. The only other component that Flagship has licensed is Havok for physics.

    System Requirements:
    • OS: Windows XP with SP2 or Windows Vista
    • Processor: 1 .8GHz or faster (2.4GHz for Vista)
    • RAM: 1GB or more (2GB for Vista)
    • Video: DirectX 9.0c/10 compatible device w/ 128MB RAM or better and Pixel Shader 2.0 support; requires NVIDIA GeForce 6200/ATI Radeon 9000 chipset or greater
    • Audio: DirectX 9.0c compatible device
    • Disc drive: 8x DVD or faster
    • Hard drive: 6 GB or more free space
    • Input: Keyboard and mouse
    • Internet: Connection required for multiplayer
    Platform(s):  
    Publisher: Namco Bandai Games & Electronic Arts