The whole Hellgate debacle still isn’t quite over yet as Korean based publisher HanbitSoft is pledging to continue server operations, for free.
They plan on ”unifying” on and offline fans whilst adopting ”a free-to-play model.” The English press release has ignited rumour that they plan to operate Hellgate worldwide.
”In the upcoming update, HanbitSoft plans to combine the two game play modes, unifying the split two communities into one. Also planned are class balance improvements and differentiation of each of the 5 acts,” stated the Korean publisher.
It’s unclear on HanbitSoft’s precise intentions with regards to western fans of the game given the equally unclear nature of who has the right to the IP in North America and Europe.
”HanbitSoft explained that by switching over to a free-to-play model, users will feel less burdened, opening the doors to a larger, more diverse gaming community. The date of the free-to-play switch over is undetermined at this point, but HanbitSoft stated that more news will be released through the official Hellgate: London website soon.”
Hellgate: London is expected to cease operations January 31st in the West under Namco Bandai, but could HanbitSoft ride to the rescue for English gamers who want to keep blasting demons on the streets of London?
See below for the full press release.
Seoul, Korea - January 23, 2009 – HanbitSoft, Inc. announced today that Hellgate: London, an online action RPG developed by Redbana US Studio, will focus its future updates on strengthening community features. During Hellgate: London’s meeting with fan gamers on the 16th, producers and marketing managers revealed plans regarding the direction of future development and new features to be updated.
Maintaining the Speedy, Thrilling Action Game Elements and Strengthening the Community System
Hellgate: London’s future development direction will be focused on strengthening community features while maintaining the speedy and thrilling action game elements, as many users have wanted better community functionality for quite some time. HanbitSoft revealed the new content that is to be included in the next large-scale patch, which is expected to be released soon. In the upcoming update, HanbitSoft plans to combine the two game play modes, unifying the split two communities into one. Also planned are class balance improvements and differentiation of each of the 5 acts. Gamers who attended the conference applauded this announcement.
Hellgate: London Switches Over to a Free-to-Play Model
During the conference, HanbitSoft also announced that Hellgate: London will soon be serviced in a free-to-play model. This was the first time that any related official announcements had been made. HanbitSoft explained that by switching over to a free-to-play model, users will feel less burdened, opening the doors to a larger, more diverse gaming community. The date of the free-to-play switch over is undetermined at this point, but HanbitSoft stated that more news will be released through the official Hellgate: London website soon.
For more information, visit the official Hellgate: London website at http://hg.hanbiton.com/ or contact Janelle Ha at hBonkiE@hanbitsoft.co.kr.
Source: Gamasutra
