diff --git a/desktop/build.gradle b/desktop/build.gradle
index 5345c79ba..442f17cf1 100644
--- a/desktop/build.gradle
+++ b/desktop/build.gradle
@@ -3,14 +3,18 @@ apply plugin: "java"
 [compileJava, compileTestJava]*.options*.encoding = 'UTF-8'
 sourceCompatibility = targetCompatibility = appJavaCompatibility
 
+ext.mainClass = "com.shatteredpixel.shatteredpixeldungeon.desktop.DesktopLauncher"
 sourceSets.main.resources.srcDirs = [new File(project(':core').projectDir, "/src/main/assets"),
                                      new File(project(':desktop').projectDir,"/src/main/assets")]
 
 task runDebug(dependsOn: classes, type: JavaExec) {
-    main = "com.shatteredpixel.shatteredpixeldungeon.desktop.DesktopLauncher"
     classpath = sourceSets.main.runtimeClasspath
-
     ignoreExitValue = true
+
+    main = mainClass
+    systemProperty 'Specification-Name', appName
+    systemProperty 'Specification-Version', appVersionName + "-INDEV"
+    systemProperty 'Implementation-Version', appVersionCode
 }
 
 task releaseJAR(dependsOn: classes, type: Jar) {
@@ -18,7 +22,7 @@ task releaseJAR(dependsOn: classes, type: Jar) {
     from { configurations.runtimeClasspath.findAll { it.name.endsWith('jar') }.collect { zipTree(it) } }
 
     manifest {
-        attributes 'Main-Class': "com.shatteredpixel.shatteredpixeldungeon.desktop.DesktopLauncher"
+        attributes 'Main-Class': mainClass
         attributes 'Specification-Name': appName
         attributes 'Specification-Version': appVersionName
         attributes 'Implementation-Version': appVersionCode
diff --git a/desktop/src/main/java/com/shatteredpixel/shatteredpixeldungeon/desktop/DesktopLauncher.java b/desktop/src/main/java/com/shatteredpixel/shatteredpixeldungeon/desktop/DesktopLauncher.java
index 274c5159e..0cfbc38ee 100644
--- a/desktop/src/main/java/com/shatteredpixel/shatteredpixeldungeon/desktop/DesktopLauncher.java
+++ b/desktop/src/main/java/com/shatteredpixel/shatteredpixeldungeon/desktop/DesktopLauncher.java
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
 public class DesktopLauncher {
 	public static void main (String[] arg) {
 		
+		final LwjglApplicationConfiguration config = new LwjglApplicationConfiguration();
+		
 		Thread.setDefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler(new Thread.UncaughtExceptionHandler() {
 			@Override
 			public void uncaughtException(Thread thread, Throwable throwable) {
@@ -42,14 +44,28 @@ public class DesktopLauncher {
 				PrintWriter pw = new PrintWriter(sw);
 				throwable.printStackTrace(pw);
 				pw.flush();
-				JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Shattered Pixel Dungeon has crashed, sorry about that!\n\n" +
+				JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, config.title + " has crashed, sorry about that!\n\n" +
 						"If you could, please email this error message to me and I'll get it fixed (Evan@ShatteredPixel.com):\n\n" +
 						sw.toString(), "Game Crash!", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
 				Gdx.app.exit();
 			}
 		});
 		
-		LwjglApplicationConfiguration config = new LwjglApplicationConfiguration();
+		config.title = DesktopLauncher.class.getPackage().getSpecificationTitle();
+		if (config.title == null) {
+			config.title = System.getProperty("Specification-Name");
+		}
+		
+		Game.version = DesktopLauncher.class.getPackage().getSpecificationVersion();
+		if (Game.version == null) {
+			Game.version = System.getProperty("Specification-Version");
+		}
+		
+		try {
+			Game.versionCode = Integer.parseInt(DesktopLauncher.class.getPackage().getImplementationVersion());
+		} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+			Game.versionCode = Integer.parseInt(System.getProperty("Implementation-Version"));
+		}
 		
 		config.width = 1920;
 		config.height = 1080;
@@ -58,24 +74,6 @@ public class DesktopLauncher {
 		config.foregroundFPS = 0;
 		config.backgroundFPS = -1;
 		
-		//TODO rather than hardcoding these values when running debug
-		// it would be nice to be able to fetch them from gradle in some way
-		config.title = DesktopLauncher.class.getPackage().getSpecificationTitle();
-		if (config.title == null) {
-			config.title = "ShatteredPD INDEV";
-		}
-		
-		Game.version = DesktopLauncher.class.getPackage().getSpecificationVersion();
-		if (Game.version == null) {
-			Game.version = "0.7.5e-INDEV";
-		}
-		
-		try {
-			Game.versionCode = Integer.parseInt(DesktopLauncher.class.getPackage().getImplementationVersion());
-		} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-			Game.versionCode = 382;
-		}
-		
 		new LwjglApplication(new ShatteredPixelDungeon(new DesktopPlatformSupport()), config);
 	}
 }