New owner HanbitSoft will bring the MMO formerly known as
Hellgate: London back to North America for the first time in over two years under a new free-to-play model, the company said.
The company -- which announced its intention to relaunch the game
well over a year ago -- said that a closed beta will occur between June 3rd and 5th, with a full launch coming later in the year.
HanbitSoft has operated the game under a free-to-play model
for some time in its native Korea, but this will be the first time that option will be available in North America. While the original release included a free version, the only payment model available to access all of the game's content was via either a $9.95 a month or $149.99 lifetime subscription.
Hellgate's last gasp in North America was on January 31 of 2009, when Namco Bandai
pulled the plug on the unsuccessful MMO that caused the
redundancies and eventual closure of developer Flagship Studios.
A new North America-focused
website has been launched for the revival, with information and a new video.
