Hellgate is 'spiritual successor to Diablo II' - Roper

Speaking at ginormous electronics show CES in Las Vegas, Flagship Studios head Bill Roper said today that upcoming MMO Hellgate: London is intended to "reach out to Diablo players" and that the title is very much a continuation of Diablo II's gameplay.

"We feel that Hellgate: London is the spiritual successor to Diablo II," he said.

Showing off the game on the show's floor today, Roper was in no doubt that the game was designed in part to give fans of the fabled Blizzard PC RPG the next fix they've been craving since the benchmark sequel, saying that "that's a very good way of thinking about it [Hellgate]."

"Really the biggest thing for us is wanting to reach out to the Diablo players," he said. "I think that people that play MMOs - whether it's Everquest, or WoW, or Asheron's Call, or whatever it is, they're really going to find something they like about the game... But I do think it's really important for us is to make sure we reach out to those millions of Diablo players, that really love the Diablo gameplay mechanic, that were really excited about Diablo and want to have that kind of gameplay experience again."

Diablo II was release for both PC and Mac in 2000, and rumours of a third game in the series have persisted for years. The isometric action RPG rapidly became one of the most popular online games ever released.

Hellgate: London is an offline and online RPG set in a near-future where demons have taken over the British capital. The game, Flagship Studios' first, will release this summer, and is about to enter its alpha phase.