Flagship Studios is pleased to announce that PC Gamer magazine will present our first game, "Hellgate: London", as the cover story in their May issue. It will hit US newsstands during the next two weeks. The PC Gamer cover image is now up on our website.

This game will most likely be available on both PC/Mac computers. The game is expected to be successful and popular -- based on their track record of mind-blowing 13 million copies of Diablo and Diablo II sold, whose former developers: David Brevik, Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, Bill Roper, and Kenneth Williams -- are currently behind the creation of Hellgate: London. Namco and Hanbisoft will publish and distribute the game upon release.

-PC Gamer describes the game as Diablo played from a first person perspective and set in a post-apocalyptic London.
-Roper consders the game to be an RPG. His arguments: combat is entirely stat based, not twitch based. Hits, misses, and damage will depend on the stats of your character and their weapons; and ranged weapons cast spells (they're actually being referred to as "spell delivery systems").
-The game is set five years after a war against demons has already been lost. London is depicted as a burnt out shell of itself. The demons are in the process of "hellaforming" earth to make it more suitable for their kind. A handful of humans have survived.
-The game will be played about half below ground (and half above). London was primarily chosen as the setting because it has many "natural dungeons" such as subways and aqueducts. Authentic London locations will appear in the game.
-The only chararcter class currently revealed is the knight-like Templars. They were the most effective force against the demons during the war (but were still defeated).
-Character customization exists but details were not revealed.
-A third person view will probably exist, for melee fighting and whatnot. There will also be a third person "vanity mode" so you can view your character.
-Level layouts will be randomly generated (which to some extent seems to contradict the prior statement that authentic London locations will be featured). There will be random quests and branching paths, all leading to a lot of replay value.
-Quests will be designed to push the story forward, with a minimum of Fed-Ex style missions.
-Most weapons, but not all, will be futuristic. Destroyed demons will drop many items and weapons. All weapons will possess unique stats, even those that are essentially identical (such as two Peacemaker Pistols). Weapons will have slots where relics can be affixed that add additional damage (like socketed weapons and gems in Diablo). There's also the possibility of the equivalent of a Horadic Cube.
-Some specific weapons include the Tempest Gun, which fires a round of ball lightning; the Vulcan Bolter, which shoots fireballs; the Zeus Rifle, which disperses an electrical attack that can arc between multiple enemies; the Harp, which temporarily stuns monsters; and the aforementioned Peacemaker Pistol, which fires rounds that richochet off walls.
-Nothing definite on the level max, but PC Gamer is guessing 50. Leveling up provides skill points that can be spent in three categories: offensive, passive auras, and combo moves. The skill system is still in development, but one possibility being considered is the inclusion of sub-classes.
-Multiplayer will exist and support 16 to 32 players. Co-op gameplay will be emphasized, but deathmatch is a possibility. Roper says you will not be able to play as a demon.
-Paper doll inventory.
-NPC's will join with your character from time to time, apparently only on a temporary basis, although they may reappear further along in the game.
-There are already plans to continue the series, with future settings being speculated as Las Vegas and Rome.