Hellgate: London hasn't exactly been tearing up the charts in North America since launch, and that's before we talk about any of the issues which the game shipped with. A now-deleted personal blog posting from an employee with Hellgate's developer Flagship Studios claimed the company is feeling the heat of lackluster morale, facing an exodus of employees going separate ways left and right. However, Flagship still has vested interests in current projects, as CVO David Brevik quickly counters the claims made by programmer Guy Somberg.  Brevik explains that Flagship's San Francisco- and Seattle-based studios are still staffed with over 100 employees, and the team behind Hellgate itself should be about the same size as it was in spite of "natural" turn-over.

"Everyone has good days and bad days. Guy was having a bad day. ... He vented, exaggerated, and posted information that was inaccurate.

"As is typical in the industry, after a game is released some people naturally want to work on something else and they leave the company to do so. But in total we have had less than 10 percent turn-over and have rehired for all needed positions."

Brevik seems to have caught on to the malaise which surrounded Hellgate and now provides the backdrop for this recent development, conceding the game should have been tweaked more before release. To be sure, Somberg did express delight in how well Hellgate did in South Korea. Then again, Flagship gave the game's launch in the country a little something extra, setting hearts and souls ablaze with passion.