Flagship Studios
Encyclopedia
Flagship Studios was a computer game company
founded by Bill Roper
along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik
, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North
executives. The core personnel of Flagship Studios had been collaborating as a team since 1993 when they founded Condor Studios (later bought out and renamed Blizzard North
) and in addition to the Diablo
franchise many were key high level executives in the development of Warcraft
, StarCraft
, and World of Warcraft
. Flagship Studios was formed following the resignation en masse of Blizzard North
management following a dispute with Blizzard Entertainment
parent company Vivendi
regarding the potential fate of the company, development team, and titles, which were in doubt at that time. Flagship Studio's primary target platform for their games was the PC
.
Flagship Studios had a partnership with Namco Hometek
and HanbitSoft
to cover an international market for game marketing and distribution.
The company dissolved in August 2008 because of financial troubles.
for an unknown game, Flagship Studios' first title named Hellgate: London
was announced via an exclusive article in the computer magazine PC Gamer
. It was formally released October 31, 2007 as an action role-playing game
(RPG) in the same vein as the Diablo
games, but with the twist of being played in 3D
, primarily from a first-person perspective. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic demon-infested London
, following a great battle between demon
s and humans. The developer was careful to point out that the game experience would be nothing like that of regular first-person shooters, but with much deeper RPG content in the form of e.g. random quests, and where a character's combat efficiency is more determined by statistics than player reflexes. In addition, the game featured random levels, uncommon in games of similar perspective and scale. Expectations from the game were high, as earlier games the developers have been involved in, especially titles from Blizzard Entertainment, have become best sellers with few exceptions. However it received mixed reviews, and complaints by many gamers that the game was released in an unfinished state, which was later admitted by CEO Bill Roper. The company no longer owns the intellectual property rights to Hellgate: London http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169356.
rights over Mythos have now been claimed by the Korean company Hanbitsoft, which was offered as collateral
for loans earlier in the year. Additionally, Mythos lead designer Travis Baldree and Flagship Studios co-founder Max Schaefer have subsequently formed the new game company Runic Games
along with the remaining staff of 14 behind the game from Flagship Seattle. Runic Games developed the Diablo
-like action RPG Torchlight
.
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
founded by Bill Roper
Bill Roper (video game producer)
Bill Roper is a video game designer and has been a well-known person in the worldwide gaming industry since 1994. He personally represents the games he works and has built a solid reputation with his strong relationships with press, developers, and gamers...
along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik
David Brevik
David Brevik is a video game developer and possibly best known as a co-founder of Blizzard North , the highly successful video game company behind titles such as the Diablo series. He was educated at California State University, Chico during 1986 to 1991...
, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North
Blizzard North
Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent...
executives. The core personnel of Flagship Studios had been collaborating as a team since 1993 when they founded Condor Studios (later bought out and renamed Blizzard North
Blizzard North
Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent...
) and in addition to the Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
franchise many were key high level executives in the development of Warcraft
Warcraft
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans is a real-time strategy game , developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Blizzard and Interplay Entertainment. The MS-DOS version was released in November 1994 and the Macintosh version in late 1996. Sales were fairly high, reviewers were mostly impressed, and the...
, StarCraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
, and World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
. Flagship Studios was formed following the resignation en masse of Blizzard North
Blizzard North
Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent...
management following a dispute with Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
parent company Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
regarding the potential fate of the company, development team, and titles, which were in doubt at that time. Flagship Studio's primary target platform for their games was the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
Flagship Studios had a partnership with Namco Hometek
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
and HanbitSoft
HanbitSoft
HanbitSoft is a Korean computer game publishing and development company. It is best known internationally as the Korean distributor for the successful computer game StarCraft....
to cover an international market for game marketing and distribution.
The company dissolved in August 2008 because of financial troubles.
Hellgate: London
In March 2005, following months of teasing concept artConcept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
for an unknown game, Flagship Studios' first title named Hellgate: London
Hellgate: London
Hellgate: London is a dark fantasy themed action role-playing game originally developed by Flagship Studios, released on October 31, 2007. It was developed by a team headed by former Blizzard Entertainment employees, some of whom had overseen the creation of the Diablo series...
was announced via an exclusive article in the computer magazine PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
. It was formally released October 31, 2007 as an action role-playing game
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
(RPG) in the same vein as the Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
games, but with the twist of being played in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, primarily from a first-person perspective. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic demon-infested London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, following a great battle between demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s and humans. The developer was careful to point out that the game experience would be nothing like that of regular first-person shooters, but with much deeper RPG content in the form of e.g. random quests, and where a character's combat efficiency is more determined by statistics than player reflexes. In addition, the game featured random levels, uncommon in games of similar perspective and scale. Expectations from the game were high, as earlier games the developers have been involved in, especially titles from Blizzard Entertainment, have become best sellers with few exceptions. However it received mixed reviews, and complaints by many gamers that the game was released in an unfinished state, which was later admitted by CEO Bill Roper. The company no longer owns the intellectual property rights to Hellgate: London http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169356.
Mythos
Mythos was a game under development by a division of Flagship Studios commonly called "Flagship Seattle". An online RPG, similar in style to Diablo, the game was used to test the networking technology behind the multiplayer component of Hellgate: London. It was expected to be free to play and download, although the financing model was never set in stone. Following the layoffs at Flagship Studios due to the financial issues, the intellectual propertyIntellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
rights over Mythos have now been claimed by the Korean company Hanbitsoft, which was offered as collateral
Collateral (finance)
In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan.The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal and interest under the terms of a loan obligation...
for loans earlier in the year. Additionally, Mythos lead designer Travis Baldree and Flagship Studios co-founder Max Schaefer have subsequently formed the new game company Runic Games
Runic Games
Runic Games is a Seattle-based American computer game company formed by Travis Baldree , Max Schaefer and Erich Schaefer , Peter Hu, and the Flagship Studios Seattle team responsible for Mythos. It is a subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd...
along with the remaining staff of 14 behind the game from Flagship Seattle. Runic Games developed the Diablo
Diablo (series)
Diablo is an action role-playing game franchise owned and produced by Blizzard Entertainment. , the series has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide.-Story:...
-like action RPG Torchlight
Torchlight
Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable...
.
External links
- Flagship Studios Website
- Official Hellgate London Website
- Official Mythos Website No longer a Dead link