Hellgate: London Update Plans Surface

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Timothy Gerritsen Ongoing updates to Hellgate: London will add new gameplay features and greatly expand the game's content according to information released at developer Flagship Studios' recent, oddly-titled Asia Launching Party in Seoul, Korea. Flagship has revealed that the content updates for its upcoming apocalyptic RPG will be released every 3-4 months, with special events occurring monthly.

The first four major updates will include new server types, such as "Hardcore," "PVP," and "Role-play." Auction house access, in-game email, auto-group matchmaking, guild housing, and shared guild stashes are among the planned features that Flagship captain Bill Roper outlined in a speech to the Korean crowd. In addition to the social functions, Flagship hopes to implement a trinket system, armor modifications, and usable stationary turrets. The typical assortment of new monsters, locations, skills, and character classes were also promised. Details of the additions come via event coverage by the Games Xtreme League.

These updates may be provided for users who sign up for Flagship's optional subscription service, which will carry a fee of $9.99 per month. "In short, what subscribers are getting is new content--not simply 'better' things," Roper said last month in a letter to fans. "Another way of thinking of this would be that we're delivering smaller expansions over time rather than having players wait a year or more before they finally get something new." Shacknews has contacted Flagship for clarification on whether any of the new features will be included for standard users.

Hellgate: London is slated for release later this summer.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 6, 2007 12:13 PM

    what would stop me from just paying the $9.95 when the new content comes out and then canceling my "elite" account ...guess it's their way of giving non-elite-wanting-gamers access to the same content (albeit without the perks) as elite subscribers

    • reply
      June 6, 2007 12:13 PM

      That's a remarkably good question. Can people just subscribe for a month to get that content and then unsubscribe until the next content update?

      • reply
        June 6, 2007 12:16 PM

        while you wouldn't lose the items or content you just wouldn't be able to use them.

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          June 6, 2007 12:20 PM

          I think this will really hurt them. I don't see the market supporting mmo pricing for an instanced game...

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            June 6, 2007 12:21 PM

            I think it will depend on quality and amount of continuing content, and how much guild-focused stuff they have.

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          June 6, 2007 12:32 PM

          That's a bad idea. Because once you have a paying customer, you are forcing them to stay a paying customer.

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            June 6, 2007 12:37 PM

            What do you mean? If anything, it means that people, with only a little preparation, can go on and off paying status as desired.

            If they don't lock the stuff out when people drop their subscriptions, then you'll just have a lot of people gaming the system and subscribing once every three or four months, for only a month.

            If they delete the stuff if the subscription lapses, then they really are essentially forcing people to be subscribers.

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              June 6, 2007 2:50 PM

              I think paying and non-paying areas are a better solution. Still not the greatest, but I don't think the subscription service tied to gear is an elegant solution to the consumer.

              It is easy for me to accept that I can't go into level 20 elite dungeon because that is for subscribers than "I haven't paid my bill, my sword stopped working".

            • reply
              June 6, 2007 10:46 PM

              lol, they'd still be getting $10 every 3 months from you instead of $30 - they can't really complain _that_ much :)

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