Editing Flagship Studios

{{Short description|Former american game development studio}}
{{About|the American company|the Japanese company|Flagship (company)}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Flagship Studios
| logo = Flagship logo.png
| type   = [[Private company|Private]]
| foundation =  2003
| location =  [[San Francisco]], [[California]], [[United States]]
| industry = [[Video game industry|Video games]]
| defunct = August 2008
| fate = Dissolved
| key_people = {{plainlist|
*[[Bill Roper (video game producer)|Bill Roper]] ([[CEO]] and co-founder)
*Max Schaefer ([[chief operating officer|COO]] and co-founder)
*Kenneth Williams ([[chief financial officer|CFO]] and co-founder)}}
| products = {{plainlist|
*''[[Hellgate: London]]'' 
*''[[Mythos (video game)|Mythos]]''}}
}}

'''Flagship Studios''' was an American [[video game developer]] founded by [[Bill Roper (video game producer)|Bill Roper]] along with {{ill|Max Schaefer (video game designer)|it|Max Schaefer|lt=Max Schaefer}}, {{ill|Erich Schaefer|it}}, and [[David Brevik]], former [[Blizzard North]] executives. The latter three had been collaborating since their 1993 founding of Condor Studios, later renamed upon acquisition by [[Blizzard Entertainment]]. At Blizzard North, the Schaefers and Brevik created the ''[[Diablo (video game)|Diablo]]'' franchise, while Roper oversaw development of the ''[[Warcraft]]'' and ''[[StarCraft]]'' series.

Flagship Studios had a partnership with [[Namco|Namco Hometek]] and [[HanbitSoft]] to cover an international market for game marketing and distribution. The company dissolved in August 2008 because of financial troubles.

== Founding ==
In June 2003, [[Blizzard North]] executives [[Bill Roper (video game producer)|Bill Roper]], Max Schaefer, [[Erich Schaefer]], and [[David Brevik]] emailed [[Blizzard Entertainment|Blizzard Entertainment's]] then-[[Holding company|parent company]], [[Vivendi Games]], threatening to resign unless provided financial protections and communication on Vivendi's intent to sell Blizzard.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schreier |first=Jason |title=Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment |date=October 2024 |publisher=[[Grand Central Publishing]] |isbn=9781538725429 |location=[[New York City]] |pages=72-74}}</ref> Vivendi accepted their resignations effective immediately, spurring them to found Flagship Studios and recruit similarly disgruntled Blizzard North employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?show=686|title=Flagship Studios Opens with a Splash|publisher=Flagship Studios|date=2003-11-22|accessdate=2008-07-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/interviews/19767/Flagship-Studios-Interview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830164400/http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/interviews/19767/Flagship-Studios-Interview|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2007|title=Flagship Studios Interview|publisher=IGN|author=Robert Howarth|accessdate=2008-07-16|date=2003-10-27}}</ref>

==Titles==
===''Hellgate: London''===
In March 2005, following months of teasing [[concept art]] for an unknown game, Flagship Studios' first title named ''[[Hellgate: London]]'' was announced via an exclusive article in the [[computer magazine]] [[PC Gamer]]. It was formally released October 31, 2007 as an [[action role-playing game]] (RPG) in the same vein as the ''[[Diablo (video game)|Diablo]]'' games, but with the twist of being played in [[3D computer graphics|3D]], primarily from a first-person perspective. The game takes place in a [[post-apocalyptic]] demon-infested [[London]], following a great battle between demons and humans. Unlike regular [[first-person shooters]], the game features RPG content in the form of e.g. random quests, and where a character's combat efficiency is more determined by statistics than player reflexes. In addition, the game features random levels, uncommon in games of similar perspective and scale. Expectations from the game were high, as earlier games the developers have been involved in, especially titles from Blizzard Entertainment, have become best sellers with few exceptions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://internetgames.about.com/b/2007/09/13/hellgate-london-interview.htm|title=Hellgate: London Interview|publisher=About.com|author=Dave Spohn|accessdate=2008-07-17|date=2007-11-13|archive-date=2012-02-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213193635/http://internetgames.about.com/b/2007/09/13/hellgate-london-interview.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, it received mixed reviews, and complaints by many gamers that the game was released in an unfinished state, which was later admitted by CEO Bill Roper.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=183206|title=We ballsed things up with Hellgate, Roper admits|publisher=CVG|author=Stuart Bishop|accessdate=2008-07-17|date=2008-02-25}}</ref> The company no longer owns the intellectual property rights to the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169356 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522163132/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169356 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-05-22 |title=Flagship Founder Bill Roper Interview |publisher=1up.com |accessdate=2015-10-07 }}</ref>

===''Mythos''===
''[[Mythos (video game)|Mythos]]'' was a game under development by a division of Flagship Studios commonly called "Flagship Seattle". An online RPG, similar in style to ''Diablo'', the game was used to test the networking technology behind the multiplayer component of ''Hellgate: London''. It was expected to be free to play and download, although the financing model was never set in stone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6167915.html|title=Mythos detailed, will be free|publisher=GameSpot|accessdate=2008-07-17|date=2007-03-22|author=Tim Surette}}</ref> Following the layoffs at Flagship Studios due to the financial issues, the [[intellectual property]] rights over Mythos have now been claimed by the Korean company Hanbitsoft, which was offered as [[collateral (finance)|collateral]] for loans earlier in the year. ''Mythos'' lead designer Travis Baldree and Flagship Studios co-founder Max Schaefer have subsequently formed the new game company [[Runic Games]] along with the remaining staff of 14 behind the game from Flagship Seattle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/interviews/5127-WarCry-Interviews-Runic-Games-Travis-Baldree|title=Runic Games Interview|publisher=WarCry|accessdate=2008-08-11|date=2008-08-11|author=Suzie Ford|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130315234856/http://www.warcry.com/articles/view/interviews/5127-WarCry-Interviews-Runic-Games-Travis-Baldree|archive-date=2013-03-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> Runic Games developed the ''[[Diablo (series)|Diablo]]''-like action RPG ''[[Torchlight]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.torchlightgame.com/press/ |title=Press - Torchlight - Runic Games |publisher=Torchlightgame.com |accessdate=2015-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420112602/http://www.torchlightgame.com/press/ |archive-date=2012-04-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  They have since left Runic to found Double Damage Games.

==Closure==
On August 15, 2008, co-founder Max Schaefer announced that the studio had shut down.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/max-schaefer-flagship-studios-has-closed |title=Max Schaefer: Flagship Studios has closed}}</ref> Max and Erich Schaefer then formed [[Runic Games]], which dissolved in November 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169356 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522163132/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169356 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2011-05-22 |title=Bill Roper speaks out at last |author=Green, Jeff |publisher=1UP.com }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

<!--==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131026045148/http://www.flagship-studios.net/index.html Flagship Studios website] -->

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]
[[Category:Video game companies based in California]]
[[Category:Video game companies established in 2003]]
[[Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2008]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies based in California]]