New Character Class for Hellgate: London Unveiled

Namco sent us a press release earlier today unveiling the Cabalist character class that will be available in Flagship Studios' Hellgate: London.
New Character Class for Hellgate Unveiled

Play as a Cabalist in FLAGSHIP STUDIOS' highly-anticipated action RPG

Santa Clara, CA (April 11, 2006) -- Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today released details on the second character class that expectant gamers can play in HELLGATE: LONDON, the first original PC title from premier developer Flagship Studios.

Set 30 years in the future, HELLGATE: LONDON introduces players to a world devastated by a demonic invasion where mankind has gone underground to survive. The Cabal is an organization that brings together the disciplines of fringe science and arcane practices in order to unleash the inner potential of Mankind's spirit. As the Templar seek to protect the world from the forces of darkness, Cabalists come together to study it. Some yearn for the promise of power while others hold true to the axiom of keeping their friends close and their enemies closer.

Delvers of arcane knowledge, students of the dark arts and explorers on the edge of science, Cabalists are HELLGATE: LONDON'S spell-casters. Summoners of demons and controllers of primal forces, Cabalists use the demons' own powers as a weapon to stave off the forces of Hell. Using (black) magic and arcane weaponry as their primary means of battling the demonic hordes, they literally fight fire with fire and blood with blood. Some have been so touched by the dark forces they wield that they even display the traits of their enemies, ever riding the razor's edge between good and evil, control and corruption.

The spells of the Cabalist fall into three schools. Summoning spells allow the Cabalist to capture, control and even train the minions of Hell. When invoked, these powers summon demons from the netherworld and force them to fight against their kindred. Spectral spells summon dark forces from the spectral plane, which can cause colossal damage to any enemy. Transformation spells bestow the Cabalist with greater powers by modifying their appearance to mimic demonic characteristics such as horns, spikes, claws and elongated limbs.

"The Cabalist class has been a closely guarded secret since the game's conception," said Bill Roper, CEO and co-founder of FLAGSHIP STUDIOS. "Fans have been asking us for quite a while if we were going to have a character class that focused on spells. With the Cabalist, we know they are going to get exactly what they've been dreaming of."

HELLGATE: LONDON combines the depth of role-playing games and the action of first-person shooter titles, while offering infinite playability with dynamically generated levels, items, enemies and events. The player creates a heroic character, completes quests, and battles through innumerable hordes of demons to advance through experience levels and branching skill paths. A robust, flexible skill and spell system, highly customizable appearances, and a massive variety of randomly generated equipment allow players to create their own unique hero.

ABOUT FLAGSHIP STUDIOS

Flagship Studios is a creator of innovative entertainment software, designing games that focus on ease of play, replayability, and fun. The studio was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard North® and represents the creators of the worldwide, best-selling Diablo® franchise. With members that are renowned within the gaming industry, Flagship Studios embodies a team that has worked together for over a decade and have numerous #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards to their credit.

ABOUT NAMCO BANDAI GAMES AMERICA INC.

NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. is an interactive entertainment software publisher and developer based in Santa Clara, CA. The company is a subsidiary of the newly formed NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc. based in Cypress, CA.

On September 29, 2005, Bandai Co., Ltd. and NAMCO LIMITED implemented a management integration to form NAMCO BANDAI Holdings Inc. This step was taken to compete more effectively on the global stage in the fast-changing entertainment industry and to deliver further growth.

The resulting BANDAI NAMCO Group is a global entertainment group involved in business fields ranging from toys, amusement facilities, video game software and visual software, to apparel, sundries and network content.

As previous separate entities (Namco Hometek Inc. and Bandai Games Inc.) the companies were each known for creating some of the industry's top video game franchises including: Tamagotchi®, Tekken®, SOULCALIBUR®, Dead to Rights®, Pac-Man® World™, Digimon®, Ridge Racer®, Time Crisis® and ACECOMBAT®. For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. and its products log onto http://www.namcobandaigames.com.