Hellgate Touted as 'Most Successful' Korean Launch in Three Years

The recent Korean arrival of Hellgate: London (PC) was reportedly "the most successful online video game launch in Korea of the past three years," developer Flagship Studios claimed today.

According to the company, the Korean multiplayer beta had over one million accounts within two weeks of its January 15 debut. That helped the title to become the ninth most played online game and most popular online beta in PC Cafes.

Leading up to the game's February 22 arrival at Korean retailers, it "achieved record sales in its first week of presales." Curiously, further details on the game's retail performance were not provided.

Released in North America last Halloween, the online and offline action-RPG was praised for its Diablo-esque gameplay but lambasted for its many server issues and bugs. The game's stability and overall level of polish are said to have improved considerably since then.

"By listening to players' feedback and through constant updates to the game, Hellgate: London will continue to be an incredible success throughout Asia," noted HanbitSoft CEO Alex Kim. HanbitSoft partnered with Flagship to distribute Hellgate in Korea.

"To become the most successful launch in Korea for over three years is an incredible achievement," added Flagship CEO Bill Roper. "We look forward to expanding the Hellgate universe and building upon this success in the future."

In related news, Flagship recently put up the sales and distribution rights for Hellgate: London as collateral for a loan.