We (along with virtually everyone else in the media) jumped the gun a bit when we said that Flagship Studios had been closed, even though that certainly seemed to be the case. An official statement from the company has set the record straight, explaining that while most of the company’s staff has been laid off, the company remains open and still owns the rights to the IPs for both Hellgate: London and Mythos. As a result of the layoffs, Flagship won’t be accepting any further subscribers for Hellgate, and current subscribers will not be billed.
Here’s the official statement, straight from the Hellgate forums:
San Francisco, CA (July 14, 2008) — Flagship Studios has announced today that despite rumors to the contrary, the company is still operating.
“It is with deep regret that I must announce that Flagship Studios has laid off most employees. However, the core management and founding team members are still at Flagship.” said Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios. “The past five years have been an incredible experience for us, but unfortunately, we couldn’t sustain the size of the company any longer.”
Flagship Studios owns the rights to all its technology and IP, including Hellgate: London and Mythos. Due to the current situation, Flagship will not be taking any new subscribers for Hellgate: London, and all current subscriptions will not be billed.
Flagship wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to those that have supported the company and games over the past five years.
5 Comments to Flagship Studios is Still Open
by: Gigarayzor
On July 20, 2008 at 1:35 am
So not closed, but still on the death bed, eh? Well, that’s better than nothing.
by: Kevin
On July 20, 2008 at 1:01 pm
This has been known since the day of the rumor, get with the news filefront…
by: Evismang
On July 21, 2008 at 2:29 am
So they’re not going to charge bill any of the subscriptions…Won’t that put them in even more dire straits? They still have to run the servers, and the subscriptions are supposed to cover that and paying developers to work on more content.
by: Gauldar
On July 21, 2008 at 7:58 am
I think they are keeping the servers open, but will have no available tech support or more content development.
by: Tapewormz
On July 23, 2008 at 2:45 am
I haven’t logged into Hellgate London since I maxed out 2 of my characters 1 month into the game. It’s hellaboring. I can’t imagine all that many people even play that game anymore. My comment is, who cares…