Namco Bandai gets devilishly good partnership with EA for Hellgate

Santa Clara (CA) - Along with video game publishing giant Electronic Arts, Namco Bandai Games today announced it has signed into a partnership with the Redwood City-based company to jointly publish the anticipated PC title Hellgate : London.

The game previously had only a Namco Bandai publishing credit, as it has a direct link with the developer, Flagship Studios. As the title gained more notoriety, however, Electronic Arts got into the picture by offering its services in the game’s marketing, sales, and distribution. As the top-selling independent video game publisher in the world, EA has resources far beyond what Namco Bandai can offer.

As its name suggests, Namco Bandai is already a company made up of two jointly combined publishers, formerly known separately as Namco and Bandai. After merging to a single company, Namco Bandai later joined forces with Atari to more efficiently produce and market handheld games in Europe. The new partnership with EA, which also takes place in Europe, is the first joint publishing venture for Namco Bandai that will hit the US.

According to the two companies, the partnership is currently only in effect for the release of Hellgate : London. "By working with both companies in their undisputable (sic) areas of strength and expertise, we can bring the game to as many people as possible while maintaining our development focus and schedule at Flagship Studios," said Flagship Studios CEO Bill Roper.