Hellgate: London is one of the saddest game releases in recent history. The PC action-RPG hybrid of third- and first-person shooting and melee launched back in 2007 to loads of pre-release hype, largely because its now-defunct developer, Flagship Studios, was led by some of the former Blizzard masterminds behind Diablo. It was a really fun game, but sadly the fun was buried in technical problems and the developer’s overly ambitious attempt to deliver both an extensive single-player campaign and online multiplayer on the scale of a full MMORPG. Unfortunately, both sides suffered from the lack of direction and identity.

But there is still hope for the post-apocalyptic ‘hack and shoot’ dungeon crawler that refuses to die. T3 Entertainment, Redbana and HanbitSoft have been re-developing the game since 2009 with plans to relaunch under the free-to-play MMO model. Hellgate won’t be fully resurrected until later in the year, but next month the game will take its first big step towards redemption.

The free-to-play version of Hellgate is scheduled to enter closed beta in North America between June 3rd and June 5th, during which invited players will be able to choose from six different class types and fight creatures from hell by themselves or online with a team of fellow demon hunters. Information on how to get access to the beta test will be posted to the game’s website soon. If you’re interested in joining, you should probably follow Hellgate on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Here’s a sneak preview of the game in action:

Originally developed as a test project for the online networking tech behind Hellgate: London, Flagship Studios’ free-to-play online action-RPG Mythos never made it out of beta as Hellgate bombed and Flagship dissolved last year, with Korean game company HanbitSoft and parent company T3 Entertainment stepping in to assume control of the IP. It was a shame, too, because from what I played of the beta Mythos was much better than Hellgate.

But all is not lost. Thanks to Redbana, the North American development and publishing branch of T3 Entertainment, Mythos is alive, well and set to be reborn in the US next year, with the game scheduled to enter closed beta soon. The game’s website has also been relaunched with a new trailer (see above) and an animated book loaded with background info about the story and world. Registration is also open for the closed beta, so don’t forget to sign up while you’re there.

“We’re privileged to be able to take the helm of this ambitious and highly-regarded project,” said Young Rok Park, CEO of Redbana. “We launched Redbana with Audition, and are now diversifying our offering with Mythos. Our vision is to deliver a diverse selection of high quality games to the North American market.”