NamcoBandai's director of business development Zach Karlsson tells Next-Gen about the company's plans for creating new IP, and for moving current IP across more platforms. Looks like Hellgate: London (pictured) is Xbox 360 bound, for one thing….
Karlsson told Next-Gen, "I'm the director of business development. My job is really to oversee strategy and new business. On of the areas I'm looking to focus on is both multiplayer and online gaming. With the convergence of platforms into the online and PC space we're really looking to start driving into that arena."
He adds, "Online is a very big console characteristic now so we're really looking at what multi-player games we bring to the space as well. With the Xbox360 and the ease of portability between the PC and Xbox 360 as well as the platform of the PS3, it really makes sense for us to really look at online as a platform rather than looking at individual consoles by themselves, in a bubble."
This year NamcoBandai has Hellgate: London, a PC RPG cum, shooter that it is co-publishing that with EA. Given the company's newfound penchant for cross-platform development, I ask if an Xbox 360 version is likely. Karlsson won't confirm it, but he admits that it's highly unlikely that such a notion is far from the company's planning calendar.
Before Flagship Studios, there was Blizzard North. Originally known as Condor, the Redwood-based studio was acquired in 1997 by Blizzard Entertainment. At the time, Blizzard North was hard at work on the development of the game that would be the cornerstone of everything that came after: Diablo.
IGN : Remember Hellgate: London? The dark fantasy action role-playing game came out in 2007 for PC, a year before developer Flagship Studios went bankrupt. Since then, various free-to-play and online revivals have come and gone. Now, 17 years after the release of Hellgate: London, it’s back.
I remember some friends and I all bought Hellgate: London day one because it was made by some original Diablo devs. We had fun playing it, good memories.
PC Invasion: Hellgate: London is back on Steam, but it's not what you expect it to be. It's a single-player game in the vein of Asian MMOs.
