Torchlight is an action/RPG dungeon-crawler that fans of the Diablo series will recognize. The similarities come as no surprise, as it has been developed by some of the original founders of Blizzard North, the team responsible for Diablo and its sequel.
When Blizzard North fell apart in 2003, Max and Erich Schaefer formed Flagship Studios. Flagship went on to develop the ill-fated Hellgate London before it closed its doors in August last year.
The Schaefer brothers along with Travis Baldree went on to setup Runic Studios. All 14 members of the former Flagship Studios’ Seattle team signed up with Runic late in 2008.
In April this year, the studio announced its first game; Torchlight, then billed as an action-based isometric MMO.
“Adventurers set out from the town of Torchlight into the nearby mountains in search of the magic ore that imbues their equipment with power, yet imperils their very existence.”
Interestingly, all 14 of the former Flagship staff working at Runic worked on the unreleased action-MMO “Mythos”. Originally designed as a development tool to help optimize Hellgate London’s networking technology, the game went on to become an independent title, but was eventually canned due to the financial hardships faced by Flagship Studios.
A playable demo of the game is now available through Steam, where players can also buy the full release for $20 (R150).
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