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: