Hellgate: London Code Theft?

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Rumors have surfaced from various sources, including news site Gamers with Jobs Press Pass as well as various forums, that a hacker located in China has accessed Flagship Studios' network and acquired the source code to the developer's upcoming first person RPG Hellgate: London. Following some downtime, the Flagship network is apparently back in operation. The individual is now reportedly attempting to sell the obtained materials.

When contacted by Shacknews regarding the matter, Flagship co-founder Bill Roper replied that while Flagship is aware of the rumors, it has not been able to obtain more detailed information. Anyone with any further details, whether confirming or contradicting these rumors, is encouraged to contact Flagship.

To most gamers, the situation is likely reminiscent of the infamous code theft of Valve's Half-Life 2 in late 2003; various parties involved in the theft were later arrested under FBI supervision, largely thanks to the help of the enthusiastic internet community. Unlike that incident, however, this alleged theft has not yet been confirmed. For more on Hellgate: London, check out our E3 impressions.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 11, 2006 6:21 AM

    god i hope this doesnt cause a longer delay on the game... ala-steam?

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      July 11, 2006 6:28 AM

      I thought it was concluded that the code theft wasn't the real reason why HL2 was delayed (maybe it contributed, but it wasn't the "major reason" at least)?

      • reply
        July 11, 2006 6:34 PM

        You are correct, Valve eventually said it wasn't the biggest reason (not being done was, lol) but the theft demoralized the team a lot.

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      July 11, 2006 6:33 AM

      SEPT 30TH 2003: I WANT TO BELIEVE

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      July 11, 2006 10:39 AM

      it would really depend on what, if any, major parts were stolen. If they have the server/networking modules, then I would imagine a delay of some kind to make sure cheating isn't rampant from the products launch.

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