Flagship Studios: April Fools’ 2008

For their April Fools’ festivities, Flagship Studios has issued two press releases announcing a Hellgate High School and a Hellgate Barbie. The first:

Flagship Studios Founds Educational Stronghold
Acquisition of school sets stage for new opportunities.
San Francisco, CA (April 1, 2008) — Flagship Studios announced today the acquisition of Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana. The independent game studio has used monies secured through a combination of institutional investments and parimutuel windfalls to not only purchase the facility, but also provide funding for AP College prep programs in the fields of Game Development and Greater European Survival Studies.
(We recognize the importance of a strong national educational program and have wanted to contribute to the instruction of future world-wide leaders for quite some time,) said Flagship CEO Bill Roper. (The creation of numerous collegiate-level programs and publication of post-apocalyptic guides have neglected students at the High School level. Our new programs at Hellgate High School will provide a rigorous education in a safe environment through which students can acquire the knowledge, skills, spells, and technology needed to fulfill their adult roles and responsibilities in the twenty-first century.)
Hellgate High recently had the highest test scores in the State of Montana in reference to reading and writing. In 2007, the Hellgate Academic WorldQuest team received first place in the State competition, advancing onto the national competition in Washington D.C. where they took second place in the nation.
(Aside from their ability to complete quests on a global level, Hellgate High School also has an extensive network of underground tunnels that were last used decades ago.) noted Erich Schaefer, CCO and Lead Designer on Hellgate: London. (This makes the location of the campus a natural for studying both level design and closed-quarter combat techniques.)
There will also be numerous cross-over opportunities between existing programs and new coursework. Hellgate High School has a successful music program which sends highest number of students (20-30 per year) from any high school in Montana to attend All-State Band, Orchestra, Choir, and Jazz programs.
(I can’t wait to get these talented kids into the studio!) exclaimed Dave Steinwedel, Lead Sound and Music Maestro at Flagship Studios. (Not only can we add a whole new timbre of music to our games, but the diversity of noises we can get out of them should keep us in monster voices for years.)
Hellgate High School is the largest high school in the Missoula County Public School District of Montana in terms of student body population. With approximately 1,200 students and a faculty of approximately 100, the campus is ideally situated for new programs being in Q3, 2008 which have been titled The High School Chronicles.
About Flagship Studios
Flagship Studios is a creator of innovative entertainment software, designing games that focus on ease of play, replayablility and fun. The studio was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard NorthÂ® and represents the creators of the worldwide, best-selling DiabloÂ® franchise. They are also a bunch of cut-ups who like a good April Fool’s Day joke as much as the next studio.

And the second:

Hellgate Reaches New Audience
San Francisco, CA (April 1, 2008) — Flagship Studios today announced a licensing agreement with Mattel Toys to envision characters from their popular game Hellgate: London within the BarbieÂ® world.
(This is a fantastic opportunity to present the strong, powerful female characters of the Hellgate universe to lovers of Barbie around the world,) said Bill Roper, CEO. (We have always sought to work with the best companies possible in bringing our world to other mediums, so having the chance to cooperate with Mattel in this way was something we couldn’t pass up.)
Barbie is one of the world’s best-selling fashion dolls. Launched in 1959, Barbie has had more than 80 careers — everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate. Barbie even represented astronauts in 1965, 1986 and 1994.
Close to 1 billion fashions have been produced since 1959 for Barbie and her friends. The military series of Barbie dolls – Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps – went through approvals by the Pentagon to ensure the most realistic costumes.
(The concepts of collecting armor and items found in the game translate perfectly to creating a full-featured line of clothing and accessories,) said Stacy Lovell, Director of Ancillary Marketing. (Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for nearly fifty years and we’re thrilled to see her move forward into the year 2038 to battle evil.)
About Flagship Studios
Flagship Studios is a creator of innovative entertainment software, designing games that focus on ease of play, replayablility and fun. The studio was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard NorthÂ® and represents the creators of the worldwide, best-selling DiabloÂ® franchise. They are also a bunch of cut-ups who like a good April Fool’s Day joke as much as the next studio. Also, please don’t sue us Mattel. It’s all in good fun. Really!