Hellgate is back as a free-to-play MMO with an open beta that begins on June 30.
If you remember Hellgate: London, it’s probably not with any great amount of fondness. It looked like it had the potential to be awesome but it proved somewhat less-than-impressive when it was released back in late 2007. Plagued with problems, it went dark in less than a year, dragging its developer, Flagship Studios, down into oblivion with it. The IP was eventually acquired by HanbitSoft, which is on the cusp of relaunching it in North America as a free-to-play MMO.
The open beta for the “new” game is set to begin on June 30 and will be available to both North American and European gamers. The beta will feature two new game modes, the PvP “Duel Area” and zombie-infested, oddly-named “Cow Room,” along with four special events to celebrate the launch of the beta. These events will encourage teamwork among large guilds, give players opportunities to score high-level items and “TCoins,” and offer other prizes to players as they level up.
Will it be better than the original Hellgate: London? The cinematic trailer released in May is pretty groovy but it’s actually just a bunch of trailers from the original Hellgate: London smashed together into one long video – which also serves to illustrate why the game’s failure was so disappointing. Hopefully the game will come a little closer to its intended mark this time around.
More information about the upcoming Hellgate open beta, including links to the client software, can be found at hellgate.t3fun.com.
