
The player-run campaign to save the soon-to-be-closed superhero MMORPG City of Heroes continues despite recent comments from NCSoft. Last week, the publisher and IP holder responded to the growing campaign’s requests by denying them. The lack of transparency has left a sour taste in many player’s mouths, strengthening the campaign despite the seemingly overwhelming odds.
To respond to the blockade, the campaign is continuing to hold vigils, even joining the charity Game-a-thon to support the Children’s Miracle Network, as is LoreHound. The latest Open Letter to NCSoft is reproduced in its entirety below the cut.
Personally, I think it’s time for the #SaveCOH campaign to begin targeting the larger shareholders to get them on board for requests for information. After all, who can pressure a company more than a large contingent of stockholders? Here’s NCSoft’s page on the KRX (Korean Exchange).
Without being given a stay of execution, NCSoft will be closing City of Heroes on November 30, 2012.
PRESS RELEASE
October 9, 2012For immediate release.
Community of Heroes to NCSoft: Don’t Destroy Our World
On August 31, 2012, Paragon Studios was abruptly closed to the complete surprise of its employees and management. Its signature product, the still-profitable City of Heroes (a multiplayer online game about super-powered heroes), is scheduled to be permanently shut down on November 30, 2012.
Since the announcement, the players of City of Heroes (CoH) have come together in a surprisingly active and vocal movement to try to convince NCSoft, the parent company which owns the rights to CoH and which terminated Paragon Studios without warning (citing a “realignment of focus” as the sole reason), to take action to preserve the extensive and involved community they have grown over the last eight years and have come to love.
Players have held ongoing vigils on the servers wherein their characters hold aloft torches, have held rallies and marches to demonstrate their devotion, and have even bought a “thank you” dinner for the Paragon Studios developers. Players recognize NCSoft’s desire to cease supporting CoH as a legitimate choice for a South Korean business to make regarding a product popular primarily in the West. However, they seek to convince NCSoft to allow the virtual world and its development to continue in other hands. They hope to prevent the destruction of this valued source of family togetherness, meeting place for far-distant friends, and unique aid to bridging gaps of generation and understanding. Even such luminaries as Mercedes Lackey – noted science fiction and fantasy authoress and CoH player – have come forward in support of the players’ effort.
On October 20th, the players of City of Heroes are holding a charity Game-A-Thon to support Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.
Also on that date, they are inviting members of the press to come and join them in demonstrations of how characters are made, what the most exciting parts of the game are to them, and to answer questions both in word and in deed about why this community means so much to them.
The precedent of heroes and the press working together in metropolitan areas makes the Rolla, Missouri headquarters of this meeting somewhat ironic, but for those who cannot attend in person, the beauty of an online world is that practically full access can be achieved via the internet, and members of the press are invited to join by whatever means most will sate their curiosity best.
Though things look bleak for their City, these players of heroes (and 4-color supervillains) are determined to take on the never-say-die attitude of the genre they love, and offer to share their experiences – poignant and stirring and wholesome – with others before the servers go dark and they can do so no more.
CoH is a unique online game in that nothing else like this ever existed. A lot of what got incorporated into the game came from the community since September 2001 when it was first announced.
It was built upon a very strong foundation on the forums before it got released in 2004.
Now just like that, they want to bulldoze all our effort into the ground with a trumped up excuse. It’s not just profit in this case as it mostly is in other online games either. Whatever it is, it does not justify NCSoft’s actions.
CoH closes, I then have to believe that Lord British has sold us out. If Garriott is a major shareholder, he should be fighting for us not against us.
I will also have to distrust NCSoft in the future as it will appear that they’re North Korean owned not South Korea like they claim. Millions of people do not want this to end yet it only takes a few of the plutonic oligarchy to close it? Makes no logical sense.
unfortunately Lord British did not sell us out. He was sold out by NC Soft. He was forced to sell his stock at a very low price when they fired him. They also forged a letter to the game community and told them that he quit. He took them to court and won. http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/richard-garriott-wins-lawsuit-against-ncsoft-again/
I want to know:
• What attempts were made to sell Paragon Studios.
• What attempts were made to sell the IP, and how they were exhausted.
• Why a number of potential investors who came forward to try and buy the rights, did not receive a response of any kind from NC Soft.
• How NC exhausted all the options, given that the game is not due for closure until November 30, and the fact that there have only been only 32 business days since the announcement of the ‘sunset’ of the game.
• Why NC Soft did not consider combining servers, putting the game in maintenance mode and keeping it running without further developments or updates, or allowing people to create their own, private servers.
• Why NC Soft won’t publicly name a price that they would be willing to accept for either Paragon Studios, or City of Heroes itself.
• Why a game that was running ‘well in the black’ and had seen an increase in players in the months leading up to the announcement is being closed down, while games such as Guild Wars which are running at a loss, are being kept alive.
• Why NC Soft failed to respond to an invitation from players to play the game with them, or a letter from best-selling author Mercedes Lackey to endorse NC Soft products, free of charge, for a period of five to ten years, for free, if they would be willing to work with players to keep the servers online.
Now, please, NC Soft.
I just want to say that I was shocked and dismayed at the news that they were shutting down COH. At first I thought it was someone having us all on..then saw this and my heart nearly stopped.
I have but three words about this: WHAT THE HELL?
I see I am not the only one to not to believe this…and from the above comments I am not at all ready to accept their reasons for this. It has NOTHING to do with the community and it’s overwhelming support. It has nothing to do with the items they have cited…it is all down to this,. They have decided to stick ALL of us who helped keep the game alive….myself for over 6 years…for the only reason because they can.
NCSoft is acting like a petulant child…who in a fit of pique..decided that they do not want to continue the game…nor do they want anyone else to take it over…because it is THEIR toy and they will do with it as they want..and no one else can play with their stuff.
How truly sad for them….to end something that they never would have thought would grow into something with a life of it’s own…growing beyond the bounds set to it…and to become such beloved part of many lives…and the creator of so many friendships…just because they feel like it.
Their reluctance to part with it…and to let it die rather than let it go…shows just how much they all really care about their client base. Those thousands of players who funded their other lack luster products…and the few gems….all because they love a little game called City of Heroes….are being slapped in the face by what it tantamount to a betrayal to us all.
In all my years as a playtester/designer….I have seen many similar things….works of absolute art….get ruined because of a few egos getting in the way. Many products that would have gone incredibly far died still born because the owners of the intellectual property refused to let them go…I am sorry to see COH fall into that category…..and hope that someone will read my words…and maybe reconsider things abit.
Thanks for your time….
I know there are a ton of queations and lots of angry people out there even in July 2013 .
Wondering what is going on? What is yet to come? How to figer out what to do?
I am mad as hell against cohtitan network. about breaking the law of freedom of rights and freedom of free speach. I got banned trying to solve my anger against ncsoft.
question how many of your people are bloody hell pisssssed off against NCSOFT about this killing City of Heores? I had been on for 7 1/2 years? right I paid money for that.
wht dose Tony V is got this pisssed off with the world or something and take it out on me?
Question: any of you like to get some answers that will go with our favor getting City of Heroes back on and running?
Question who says I do not have the right to ask questions on COHTITAN NETWORK and on MMORPG both places I had been banned for asking questions? I like being F u c k e d with
Follow up question . how many people are being F u c k e d with about stupid rules and regulations that break the constitution rights? this is serious? freedom of Free speach?
Question
ony big fools like NC Soft and COHTITAN NETWORK and MMORPG is going to take that mich effort to kill a MMORPG? well better yet City of Heroes?
Follow up note
did you see the list of dead MMORPG games that was listed on MMORPG? if I question any one of them I get banned for it. the rules and reuglations that break the law is got to be questioned.
some people tell me get a life or F u c k you . ok fine same back in return.
Tet me tell you something. I was not the one that created the argument.
I got stuck in the argument along with every one else in the big corperations out there.
trying my best to stand up and beleave for what is right. beleave what the law is supose to be.
protect the freedom of rights to log on to COH. the freedom to go where I want to go on line and not be f u c k e d with stupid rules and reguatlions that do not make sence and break the law
rather then get on my case about it. do this to the people that started this stupid crap
Yell at NCosft about it. I did not tell NCsoft to kill City of Heroes. I told them to close shop and to move City of Heroes Some place else that we can all agree on.
so many people our there in the USA CORPERTATIONAND KOREA CORPERATION are busy trying to kill our rights,. its time to stand up and fight for our rights to get our game back.
the cotume creator taht the titans done is crap. I cannot do missions. I cannot ask questions about it. I cannot make sujections I do not have the right to do so.. so they can do it to others. ok lets look at it in NCsoft kor and USA they kicked all of us out. not asking permition from any of us. then on cohtitan and mmorpg they pick and choose who stays and who goes at any one that with a strong point ov view. the one who stands up and yell out that is not right. stop doing that. beleave in what is the right thing to do and stick with it.
not give in to stupid rules and regulations that break the freedom of rights.
dont get on my case about it. ask them that.
Ask NCsoft about it do you like being kicked out for stupid rules?
do you like being kicked out of City of Heroes? we all got kicked out for stupid rules and reguations? I stand up for my own and get banned for it. its not going to stop me.
lets stand up and fight these fools
fight for our rights to take City ofHeroes OK
wht the hell; is going on hear? how muh more pain and hate is NCSFT is beeen attacking the freedom of rights that is COH fans had been fighting for? how much more hate and Anti American can NCSOFT get?
oh your going to love this one
I was reading up this story. I lost the link due to hard drive died on me.
NCSOFT rented the hotel in Waikiki. for who ever who dose not know whatthat is city zone.
you know like the way Atlas Park in Paragon City. in this case Waikiki is z zone in Honolulu of the state of Hawaii., any way this is the data that I found. NCSOFt rented the hotel to sell City of Heroes publishing rights to a big corperation.. and they come.l and the deal was a big drop out. NCSOFT wnated more money then the worlds got. or the offer was a fake joke.
how much more pain can the City of Heroes fan can take? how much more pain and hte will contiune to rise? I got letter from tony V COH titan network supporting anti movment of what ever excuses that NCSOFT Korea nad NCSOFT USA is doing to attack City of Heores.
the email is shocking. why is he attacking me ? why the cyber attacking crap?
I wil l answer that question. Tony V hate COH fans. he supports the death of COH I got the email to prove it. I do not want to post it. iwas also reading a document from a nother public forums that I lost the link due to hard drive died on me. well the story of what Tony V is doing wrong and why? what that only proves taht I found something big on the COH titannetwork forums that is in violation of rule book. the federal Govmenet states.
I cannot say. however what I can say is. what ever is going on there is a vlack market scams. and its not posted properly. in my book COH totan network is far worse then NCSOFT.
the deal ios the two compnays are working hand by hand to keep the game dead
what is this? whty is NC Soft is nottalking to me or o the COH fans and wwilling to talk to Tony V’s netowrk on it? tahts a good one to end this topic on and onthat bomb shell its time to say Good night “GOOD NIGHT”