There's still some hope that support for the dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game, Hellgate: London, will continue well into next year, following news that the IP has been bought by Hanbitsoft, who today has confirmed that a new update will be available soon.

Though Namco Bandai confirmed that it would immediately provide free server support for fans of the title, it was confirmed last month that due to the closure of Hellgate:London developer, FlagShip Studios, online server support would come to end in January 2009.

A letter published on the Hanbitsoft's product managers's blog site suggest that support will now continue:

To the fans of Hellgate: London,

We wish to express our gratitude to all the fans for showing your passion and dedication to Hellgate: London.

Since acquiring the intellectual property rights, HanbitSoft Inc., the publisher and distributor of Hellgate: London in Asia, has concentrated on the development of Hellgate: London, and has received many inquiries regarding new updates. Our US development studio is currently working on an update that is to surpass “The Abyss Chronicles.” This game will be available through our Web site. We thank you once again for showing your interest and ask for your continuous support for Hellgate: London, as we hope to bring good news shortly. In the meantime, we will continue developing the world’s best game!

Sincerely,
Hellgate: London Product Manager - also a fellow user that loves to play Hellgate: London

Whether this means that Hanbitsoft will take over the reins and continue with online support is still uncertain, but the letter certainly suggest that the company will be resurrecting the title. Good news for fans.

Source :: Espresso