Hellgate is 'spiritual successor to Diablo II' - Roper

By Patrick Garratt Published 9 January, 2007

Due out this summer.

Speaking at ginormous electronics show CES in Las Vegas, Flagship Studios head Bill Roper said today that upcoming MMO Hellgate: London is intended to "reach out to Diablo players" and that the title is very much a continuation of Diablo II's gameplay.

"We feel that Hellgate: London is the spiritual successor to Diablo II," he said.

Showing off the game on the show's floor today, Roper was in no doubt that the game was designed in part to give fans of the fabled Blizzard PC RPG the next fix they've been craving since the benchmark sequel, saying that "that's a very good way of thinking about it [Hellgate]."

"Really the biggest thing for us is wanting to reach out to the Diablo players," he said. "I think that people that play MMOs - whether it's Everquest, or WoW, or Asheron's Call, or whatever it is, they're really going to find something they like about the game... But I do think it's really important for us is to make sure we reach out to those millions of Diablo players, that really love the Diablo gameplay mechanic, that were really excited about Diablo and want to have that kind of gameplay experience again."

Diablo II was release for both PC and Mac in 2000, and rumours of a third game in the series have persisted for years. The isometric action RPG rapidly became one of the most popular online games ever released.

Hellgate: London is an offline and online RPG set in a near-future where demons have taken over the British capital. The game, Flagship Studios' first, will release this summer, and is about to enter its alpha phase.

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Comments (17) Latest comment 5 years ago

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  • Kazzahdrane #1 5 years ago

    As if I wasn't looking forward to this game enough already. Thank god it's a "summer" release - yet another game that would destroy my university career where it released during term time.

  • ZuluHero #2 5 years ago

    me and a group of friends who absolutly loved Diablo, can hardly wait for Hellgate. The mutiplayer stuff sounds really good, and it will be nice to play something that isn't fantasy for a change.

    I have high hopes for this.

  • JediMasterMalik #3 5 years ago

    Looking forward to it.

  • Roamer #4 5 years ago

    Hope it has a "save anywhere" system, as the Diablo II save system bugged the hell out of me.

  • space_ace #5 5 years ago

    more senseless button-mashing? O_O

  • UncleLou #6 5 years ago

    Hope it has a "save anywhere" system, as the Diablo II save system bugged the hell out of me.


    I am usually the first person to ask for a decent save system, but in the case of hack and slash action RPGs, I think it makes sense the way it was done in Diablo.

    more senseless button-mashing? O_O

    Yes, so? It's a pretty popular genre.

  • ratso #7 5 years ago

    its not an mmo.

  • Avenger1324 #8 5 years ago

    Hellgate is a First Person Shooter.

    Watch the gameplay videos here on EG and you will see that. Yes one of your weapons is a sword, so what? That doesn't turn a game into Diablo.

    The game looks like it will be fun to play, but it will be compared against other FPS's like Half Life, Quake and UT long before anyone notices a link with Diablo.

    Spiritual successor my a$$.

  • MaxiSleep #9 5 years ago

    "Hellgate is a First Person Shooter.

    Watch the gameplay videos here on EG and you will see that. Yes one of your weapons is a sword, so what? That doesn't turn a game into Diablo.

    The game looks like it will be fun to play, but it will be compared against other FPS's like Half Life, Quake and UT long before anyone notices a link with Diablo.

    Spiritual successor my a$$."

    I believe the main mechanic is skill not accuracy based, so leveling up = more dps which is pretty Diablo like. Secondly the loot is very random and highly customisable, again like diablo. Third (and unlike most fps) it is you versus large numbers of creatures at the same time. Fourthly the levels are random (more diablo I then II but I am not complaining).

    And I am absoulutely gagging to get my hands on this.
    Edited by 1 at 09/01/07 @ 16:55

  • UncleLou #10 5 years ago

    Hellgate is a First Person Shooter.

    No, it absolutely isn't. It's a stat-based action RPG with an optional first-person viewpoint.

  • Reaper #11 5 years ago

    It's deffinately an action-rpg and not an FPS, yeah it has guns and most vids you see shows off first person mode with a gun but they have loads of melee weapons too and quite a number of vids showing that off.

    FPS skills will mean nothing even the latest faction announced as an FPS based class still has a certain amount of soft aim.


    -----------------------------------------------------
    [link url=http:// hellgatecentral.rpgplanet.gamespy.com
    ]http://hellgatecentral.rpgplanet.gamespy...[/link]
    Check us out and make sure to visit our
    Hellgate:London wiki.
    -----------------------------------------------------

  • Drakron #12 5 years ago

    Played Diablo and Diablo II ... 0 interest in this.

    And yes, they say its a "action RPG" but then again FPV and OTSV are standard of FPS and not of RPG games, people that played VtB:Blodlines complained over the FPV and OTSV (with good reason).

    The spiritual successor to Diablo is Sacred, not this ... Roper sould know very well Diablo "success" had a lot to do with BattleNet and I dont see Namco (the publisher, I am not even expecting to see this game in europe because of then being the publisher) starting something up as BattleNet.



  • YourMessageHere #13 5 years ago

    When did this become MMO? Or is this simply an early example of using "MMO" to mean "can do multiplayer"?

    The only problem with V:tM-B was the bugs. It was a bit clunky for FPS play but I was more than willing to let that go if it meant I got to play a game as versatile as it was. The fan-made patches have pretty much cleared the bugs up now, too.

  • Reaper #14 5 years ago

    I am not even expecting to see this game in europe because of them being the publisher.


    It will be out in the UK & Europe in shops and online via digital distribution through ping0.

    Ping0 is going to be very much like steam if you hadn't guessed and the first game thats going to test it out officially will be Mythos developed by Flagship Seattle which will be free.

    -----------------------------------------------------
    [link url=http:// hellgatecentral.rpgplanet.gamespy.com
    ]http://hellgatecentral.rpgplanet.gamespy...[/link]
    Check us out and make sure to visit our
    Hellgate:London wiki.
    -----------------------------------------------------

  • Reaper #15 5 years ago

    When did this become MMO? Or is this simply an early example of using "MMO" to mean "can do multiplayer"?

    Flagship Studios revealed this week that the game's multiplayer component is a subscription-based MMO, they will also include a free online multiplayer.


    -----------------------------------------------------
    [link url=http:// hellgatecentral.rpgplanet.gamespy.com
    ]http://hellgatecentral.rpgplanet.gamespy...[/link]
    Check us out and make sure to visit our
    Hellgate:London wiki.
    -----------------------------------------------------

  • UncleLou #16 5 years ago

    And yes, they say its a "action RPG" but then again FPV and OTSV are standard of FPS and not of RPG games, people that played VtB:Blodlines complained over the FPV and OTSV (with good reason).

    First I've ever heard that anyone complained about the first-person view in Vampire.

  • UncleLou #17 5 years ago

    The spiritual successor to Diablo is Sacred, not this

    Titan Quest, maybe. Sacred was just horrible.