EA to Publish Hellgate: London

Electronic Arts partners with Namco Bandai and Flagship Studios to publish the PC title Hellgate: London.

Namco Bandai, who recently completed a global merger and consolidation of its studios, has signed a new publishing deal with Electronic Arts to publish the Flagship Studios PC first-person shooter Hellgate: London in North America and Europe. According to the deal, EA will be responsible for sales, marketing, and distributing the game while Namco Bandai will handle all related merchandise, such as novels, toys, and comics.

Future games in the series were not listed as part of the deal, despite Namco's tradition of partnering with EA for publishing software in Europe. In Asia, Flagship Studios inked deals with South Korean publisher and developer HanbitSoft to handle distribution and San Jose developer Online Game Services Inc. to assist in maintaining the online world.

Bill Roper, CEO of Flagship Studios commented that, "This partnership assures the best possible outcome for Hellgate: London from both a development and customer-reach standpoint. By working with both companies in their indisputable areas of strength and expertise, we can bring the game to as many people as possible while maintaining our development focus and schedule at Flagship Studios."