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Gravity Bear comes out of hibernation

by Randy Nelson { Oct 26th 2009 at 11:00PM }

Late last year, Diablo 2 art director and co-founder of Flagship Studios, Phil Shenk, set out to form a new company: Gravity Bear. As CEO, he brought along Hellgate: London senior software engineer Kevin Klemmick to serve as the new studio's technical director. Both men subsequently vanished. Until yesterday, that is, when Shenk updated the Gravity Bear blog with news the dev will make its "first 'official' press announcement in a few days."

The company's first game -- recently tested by "friends and family" according to Shenk's Twitter feed -- will be for "social platforms" (read: Facebook and the like) but its exact nature is unknown. We're hoping for a Diablo-like dungeon crawler announcement "in a few days," but that unfortunately wouldn't really be in keeping with Gravity Bear's cutesy mascot. (Unless said cartoon bear has a thirst for blood ... and you should never underestimate those guys.)

HanbitSoft: Mythos has a pulse

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 8th 2009 at 2:00AM }

It appears the sordid history of Mythos has been sorted out, with HanbitSoft ready to move forward with the project. The Korean developer tells Eurogamer that the company is doing its "best to make the game globally popular."

Mythos designer "Alboos" has posted in his/her/its first update that the game is being "reconstructed" to be suitable as an online game, incorporating many popular aspects from games like Diablo. But, isn't that what Diablo III is for?

Hellgate: London staying open as free-to-play game

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jan 26th 2009 at 6:56PM }

Hellgate: London will apparently continue on as a free-to-play title according to IP owner HanbitSoft, reports Gamasutra. Namco Bandai planned to pull the plug on the servers January 31, but HanbitSoft asserts the game will push forward. Forward and upward, allegedly, as the Korean publisher plans to update the game and strengthen community features.

The first patch HanbitSoft plans to release "soon" will combine the game's two modes, along with balancing game and class issues. Could the title that helped bring down Flagship Studios find an audience in the nurturing arms of the Korean developer?

Former Flagshipers form Gravity Bear

by Jason Dobson { Dec 2nd 2008 at 6:58PM }

Phil Shenk has become the latest to row ashore following the sinking of Flagship Studios, announcing the launch of a new development studio awesomely named Gravity Bear. Shenk will serve as the CEO, while according to Shacknews another Flagship survivor, former Hellgate: London senior software engineer Kevin Klemmick, has climbed aboard the dense grizzly as technical director.

The studio is the third to emerge from Flagship's splintered remains, following the founding of Runic Games and Turbine's new Redwood City, CA branch in recent months. Nothing yet has been revealed regarding Gravity Bear's focus or future projects, though we have to wonder if the experience of being sucked into Flagship's financial hellgate was enough to sour the company on dabbling once more in anything remotely MMO.

Namco closing Hellgate on Jan. 31

by Randy Nelson { Oct 24th 2008 at 5:14PM }

Namco Bandai has issued a statement saying that, come Jan. 31, the servers for Flagship Studios' stillborn online RPG, Hellgate: London, will, like its developer, disappear forever. In effect, Namco will be closing the ~~gate~~ door on one of the more disappointing launches in role-playing history.

In what the company calls a "gesture of support," those wishing to continue playing the game online until the lights come on and the bouncers shoo them out on Feb. 1 will be able to do so on the house.

Ex-Flagship execs recruited for new Turbine studio

by Jason Dobson { Oct 13th 2008 at 5:30PM }

While Flagship's maiden voyage may have ended up as splintered wreckage at the bottom of the massively multiplayer ocean, a pair of its former crew have found safe harbor at fellow MMO studio, Turbine. The Lord of the Rings Online developer announced that former Flagship execs Dave Brevik and Jeff Lind have joined the company, and will help spearhead a newly opened studio in Redwood City, CA.

The pair is joined by industry vet and former Sniper Studios president and CEO, Matt McKnight, who will serve as the new studio's Director, while Brevik and Lind will take on roles as creative director and engineering director respectively. We offer congratulations and best of luck to all three gentlemen, though we're particularly interested in seeing what Brevik does with his new position. Creative director marks a change from his previous role as Flagship's chief visionary officer, a wise course correction given that his foresight apparently stopped just short of predicting his former employer's impending doom.

Anatomy of a disaster: Flagship Studios founder speaks

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 19th 2008 at 10:00AM }

Flagship Studios' founder Bill Roper recently spoke with 1Up about how the Hellgate London developer ended up becoming another cautionary tale for young developers out there. Roper explains that the revenue model on Hellgate was broken and much of the money coming in went into keeping the game online, instead of expanding content like it should have.

Roper also admits the quality of the title wasn't great. He blames the PC market for being "lousy last year" and concedes Flagship didn't have unlimited money to hold on to Hellgate any longer. He also confesses that the company overreached trying to make "an MMO and an RPG and a shooter," attempting to please everyone and (obviously) satisfying very few at the end. Roper explains the Flagship Studios disaster in 1Up's interview in detail -- definitely worth a read for any aspiring studio head.

Just to be clear: Flagship Studios is dead

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 15th 2008 at 11:59AM }

Despite playing along like nothing was wrong not too long ago (making the image above more than appropriate), Flagship Studio's co-founder Max Schaefer tells Gamasutra that "for all intents and purposes" the company is closed down. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to meet its maker ... etc., etc.

Some former Flagship employees have gone on to start a new studio, but what they'll be working on is anyone's guess as the rights for the deceased developer's IPs were gobbled up by other companies. Now, let's all move on and learn from Flagship's mistakes and try not to repeat them. Writing stories about lots of people losing their jobs is never fun.

Former Flagship Studios Seattle team becomes Runic Games

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 10th 2008 at 11:30AM }

Since the very first word was uttered concerning the firing of nearly all of Flagship Studios' staff, the story has unfolded into a twisted bramble of confusion regarding IP ownership and disappointment for the Mythos and Hellgate: London developer. Today, however, we got the first bit of somewhat uplifting news on the matter -- Flagship's Seattle chapter (the group formerly in charge of Mythos) was recently reformed and remonikered into a new development team: Runic Games.

This news came from a brief press release on the newly formed company's website. While the release promises further details in the coming days concerning properties Runic will be working on, little else is explained -- such as the fate of the former employees of Flagship proper, or whether or not the team plans to regain control of their "highly anticipated" MMO. We'll keep you updated, provided these announcements will be as prompt as the reborn developer suggests.

[Via Evil Avatar]

New North American development studio hiring help for Mythos, Hellgate: London

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 3rd 2008 at 5:30PM }

Following the closure of Flagship Studios, the fate of their two intellectual properties, Mythos and Hellgate: London, seemed cloudy at best. Immediately after Flagship let go of nearly all of their staff, HanbitSoft (a large investor in Flagship) claimed to have possession of the two titles. Shortly thereafter, Flagship exec Bill Roper announced that his company still clung to life, as well as to all their technology and IPs, much to HanbitSoft's chagrin. Two weeks ago, Namco-Bandai reportedly picked up Hellgate, though the game's page on Namco's site mysteriously vanished a week later.

However, a recent help wanted ad posted by T3 Entertainment, the Korean developers of casual music game Audition Online (and major stockholders for HanbitSoft), might put an end to the confusion. The ad calls for developers for a new San Francisco-based studio who wish to "passionately continue development of Hellgate: London and Mythos, along with other new games." As much as we'd love to believe that Mythos will reach North America, we're not quite sure if this dispute has truly been settled, or if another developer has simply entered the IP melee.

Flagship Studios' entire staff fired, all intellectual property lost

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 12th 2008 at 8:30PM }

A bit of clarification recently surfaced regarding the closure of Hellgate: London and Mythos developer Flagship Studios -- though we'd heard from an unnamed source that Flagship would be shutting its doors and letting go of "nearly everyone" on the payroll, Flagship community manager Taylor Balbi recently explained that the entire staff has been fired with a 30-day pension, paid for out of the pockets of the studio's higher-ups.

The studio's intellectual property has been turned over to two companies who had invested in Flagship throughout its short lifespan, with Mythos going to Korean gaming developer HanbitSoft, and Hellgate: London going to Comerica, a financial services company based out of Dallas. It's expected these two companies will work together to continue Asian development for these two titles -- though it's unclear whether the uber-charming Mythos will ever hit North American shores.

Flagship Studios confirms layoffs, extent unknown

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 11th 2008 at 5:25PM }

Someone who is allegedly close to Hellgate: London developer Flagship Studios has informed Big Download that "nearly everyone" at the studio has been laid off. The news comes only days after studio co-founder Max Schaefer showed optimism about Mythos, the company's current project.

The news isn't exactly surprising following a Flagship programmer's blog post a couple months ago that employees were leaving the company "in droves." Gamasutra has confirmed there have been "significant staff cuts" at the studio, but there's no official word on the extent of the layoffs.

[Via GameDaily]

Flagship taking time on Mythos, admits Hellgate mistakes

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 7th 2008 at 4:30PM }

Max Schaefer, co-founder of Flagship Studios, admits that things didn't go exactly as planned with its first title Hellgate: London; however, he believes the developer's sophomore effort, Mythos, is coming together much better. Schaefer tells Eurogamer (via GI.biz) that Flagship was "probably biting off too much" as a new developer with Hellgate and was rushed at the end, but with Mythos it's focusing on core features and taking time to polish.

Schaefer hopes Mythos can "put a dent" into some of the big MMOs out there and he believes the free-to-download-and-play model of the game -- with item sales bringing in money -- gives the developer a chance against the boxed subscription-based MMOs.

Gallery: The Mythos Overworld

Hellgate: London programmer claims staff leaving 'in droves'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 11th 2008 at 12:00PM }

Things are not well at Hellgate: London developer Flagship Studios according to Guy Somberg, an audio and gameplay programmer at the fledgling studio. Somberg wrote on his personal blog a month ago – which was recently dug up by GI.biz – that people are leaving the company "in droves" following the poor sales and negative feedback of its post-apocalyptic jaunt.

Somberg does have some hope for the future (wait, isn't London occupied by demons in 2038?), saying that the game is doing well in Korea and has yet to start in China. He concludes that he likes the job, but that all the artists and programmers leaving the company is taking a toll on the future of Hellgate: London and Flagship as a studio. Well, we're hearing good things about Mythos ...

Hellgate: London finds success in Korea

by Jason Dobson { Apr 11th 2008 at 9:30AM }

Last year's launch of Flagship Studios' Hellgate: London was not exactly what we'd call a family album moment, its release plagued by client crashes and enough bugs to have the Orkin man calling for backup. Still, one person's trash is another's treasure, as Bill Roper and company have announced that in the two weeks since the Korean launch of the Hellgate beta more than a million accounts have been registered. According to Flagship, this makes the MMO the most successful online game launch in Korea in the past three years.

Hellgate's beta officially kicked off in Korea on January 15, and according to Korean online game tracking service Gametrics, the game quickly found an audiences with gamers in PC Cafes, ranking ninth among online games, fifth among RPGs, and was the most popular beta being played. This was followed by a commercial release on February 22, a launch that Flagship boasts achieved "record sales," though it's a record that we're pretty sure will be broken soon enough.