14 DAY TRIAL // It seems rumors of the demise of Hellgate London were not that exaggerated. After the MMO launched to disappointing reviews and lackluster sales, many analysts predicted that, because developers Flagship were losing money on the project, the game would only receive minimal support compared to other titles in their library, such as the upcoming Mythos that was given more resources.
Just recently, Guy Somberg, an audio and gameplay programmer at Flagship, put up a post on the Internet, now deleted, in which he claimed that all was not well in the company. In it, he said that staff, which includes not only programmers but also accountants, human resource personnel and others, were leaving the company "in droves," as he put it. He also said that the thought that soon he might be the only member of the original team still working on Hellgate was somewhat "depressing."
Speaking to Kotaku, Ivan Suli, marketing communications manager, web manager and writer at Flagship, stated that "We've actually had very few people leave. Flagship is still fully staffed and working on both Hellgate and Mythos... I think we have about 100 employees now."
Even if it didn't really catch on in the West, Hellgate London is a moderate success on the South Korean market, where MMOs are generally very well received. There are also plans for the game to make its debut in China, another market where Western-made MMOs have a history of big subscription numbers.
Some have speculated that Somberg might be inclined to leave Flagship just like the others, but he said that while the ongoing shifts of focus inside the company were not to his liking, he would stay with the developer because "I'm happy here. I like the people, I like the environment, I like the pay, I like the location... There's so much good about it."
Mythos is the next MMO project from Flagship, set to debut later in the year. The game will be distributed by digital download and will offer a free to play business model, with in-game transactions providing the money needed to support the game. Look out for an open beta soon.