GameMeca, one of Korea’s top gaming websites, recently had a interview with the development team of Hellgate: London and the upcoming Hellgate: Tokyo. Quite a few indepths quesitons and answers were revealed, so here’s the translated script.
Q: How is Hellgate: London currently doing in Korea?
A: The game is doing quite well, with a total of around 70-80 channels. There is currently no exact figures, but the number of players is steadily growing.
Q: The game started in Korea with some server issues. What happened?
A: This was due to the original server infrastructure from Flagship Studios. The problems have been resolved.
Q: How was the process of reviving the Hellgate: London like?
A: We acquired the game’s rights last year. Initially, we did not have a development team skilled enough to continue expanding the game. But as the months went by, things got smoother and now, the game is being totally developed in Korea.
Q: What went wrong with the game under Flagship Studios?
A: There were more problems logistically and technically rather than ingame. The game was made nicely, but there weren’t enough places where players can interact and updating was slow, making it like a single player game.
Q: What’s the difference between the current and old Hellgate: London?
A: On the surface, it looks like nothing much was changed. But lots of content was added since the development process started here in Korea.
Q: Hellgate: Tokyo is the next destination. Did Flagship Studios had a hand in it?
A: Yes, Flagship Studios actually started Hellgate: Tokyo, but there were only 2 basic files when we took over done by them. There will be around 10 Acts in total for Hellgate: London, and a new Act will be added every 2-3 months. Development is currently on Act 2. There will also be many Asian inspired weapons added. These weapons will not be totally Asian in a sense, but an Asian twist to the original weapons in the game.
Q: When will Hellgate: Tokyo go live?
A: It will go live on the Korean server in March 2010.
Q: Any new classes on the horizon?
A: So far, no. But it will be something we will be looking into soon.
Q: Will Hellgate: Tokyo have many underground maps?
A: Almost all of the maps will be on the surface of the city.
Q: What’s the main difference between Hellgate: London and Hellgate: Tokyo?
A: While Hellgate: London has 5 Acts, Hellgate: Tokyo will have 10 Acts, but each act will be around 2/3 the size of Hellgate: London’s.
Q: How can players proceed to Tokyo from the original game?
A: At the end of Hellgate: London, there will be an Asian warrior NPC, stating that Tokyo is currently under attack and needs reinforcement. That’s when players can travel to Tokyo.
Q: What places will players be able to explore in Hellgate: Tokyo?
A: For now, the places are Tokyo, Osaka and Mount Fuji.
That’s all for the interview. Please note that not all questions were translated, just the more informative ones. No word yet on a English release, but I’m sure we will see the game in the future.
Update: Hellgate: Tokyo delayed till mid-April. Click here for info.
