Last week, NCsoft completed its sale of NC Interactive Inc., the wholly-owned subsidiary in charge of the South Korean firm’s western operation. Announced alongside the sale was the intention to immediately fund a new operation to take over the former company’s responsibility, simply moving the requirements from Austin, TX to new digs somewhere closer to the company’s development teams on the west coast.
The #SaveCOH campaign has spoken up about the transaction. Unexpectedly, the collection of disgruntled, yet hopeful, gamers have cheered the move. The reasoning is that NCsoft still hasn’t definitively buried City of Heroes, citing NCsoft spokesman Kim Yo-han stating “nothing had been decided on selling the game or other action afterwards.” The group hopes the new company has CoH in mind and will shop around the property.
Mercedes Lackey, the NY Times best-selling author and spokesperson for #SaveCOH, stated
“In light of NCSoft’s recent statements, we hope this move by NCsoft might represent an
opening to find our award-winning, innovative and unique game, a new home.”
I’m not as optimistic.
Full press release from #SaveCOH after the cut.
STATEMENT FROM THE SAVE CITY OF HEROES® CAMPAIGN REGARDING THE
SALE OF NC INTERACTIVE.The lights might have gone out in Paragon City, but former City of Heroes® players say they hope recent comments and business transactions by NCsoft® will increase their chances of seeing the much-missed MMO resurrected.
Today (December 24) NCsoft Corporation are due to complete the sale of its shares in North American subsidiary NC Interactive.
And on December 12, the company announced that it would establish a new wholly owned subsidiary in the United States which will be in charge of the United States and Europe businesses.
Members of the campaign to resurrect the publisher’s recently-closed MMORPG, City of Heroes® say the sale – and recent comments by NCsoft have given them fresh reason to hope that heroes and villains may once again return to Paragon City, Praetoria and the Rogue Isles.
In a statement made to the Korea Times regarding the closure of City of Heroes®, NCsoft’s Seoul-based spokesman Kim Yo-han told journalist Cho Mu-hyun that “nothing had been decided on selling the game or other action afterwards.”*
A spokeswoman for the Save City of Heroes campaign, an NY Times best-selling author, Mercedes Lackey, said: “Myself, and other members of the SaveCityOfHeroes (#SaveCoH) campaign are watching this transaction carefully.
“In light of NCSoft’s recent statements, we hope this move by NCsoft might represent an opening to find our award-winning, innovative and unique game, a new home.”
We are not optimistic, just hoping. I for one am not holding my breath on this being anything more than bait and switch tactic by NCSOFT to try and boost their sagging stock prices.
As to your title for this piece: “#SaveCOH Campaign Applauds New NCsoft Subsidiary” no one in the #SaveCOH movement is applauding anything that NCSOFT has done since they announced City of Heroes was going to be snuffed. Saying that we cheered the transaction? Most I’ve seen is mixed reactions, with the voices of reason saying that at best it’s a reason to be hopeful, not celebrate as you seem to imply.
The ONLY thing that will get us to applaud NCSOFT is the announcement that COH HAS been sold to a party that will relaunch the game, rehiring as many of the Paragon Studio development team as they can, and support the game for years to come.
@David Phillips
Yes. This. If the new subsidiary has gained control over the IP, we would like them to sell it to someone who will care for the game. I, for one, have lost all faith in NCSoft, western subsidiary or no.
I find it very strange that you take my cautious comment as “applause.” It’s not. What I do hope is that the new entity will be out from under Korean micromanagement and will actually be willing to divest itself of CoH. I hope this. I do not actually expect this. Expectations and hope are two very different kettles of fish.
Thank you for this article. I don’t know that we’re exactly applauding, rather CoH fans are watching NCSoft closely, hoping for most any piece of info that will help us get City of Heroes restored. Thanks again for the article.