TonyV

Hey all, added several more articles in the OP that have been pointed out to me. Great job, and keep an eye out. We've had our coordinators scanning all of these forums and the Internet at large to collect media organizations, and tomorrow we plan on firing off our first official press release. I've made contact with several good media folks, and we're hoping that within a few days, this will be plastered over most gaming, comic, and tech news sites, and after that, possibly even hitting some mainstream news outlets, too.

Hey all, I just wanted to take some time to (hopefully) quell some frustration and yes, even anger, at NCsoft. Apologies in advance for the book, but I've just got to lay it all out on the table. I'll also be communicating this directly to contacts within NCsoft in a much more succinct form and ask you to try to share my frame of mind in your communications.

Without NCsoft, there would be no City of Heroes. I think it's important to put a little historical context behind the company as it relates to our game. The creators of City of Heroes pitched their idea to NCsoft at a time relatively early in the age of MMORPGs. It was at least 2001, maybe even 2000 when the idea of a superhero-themed MMO was concocted. At that time, the only MMOs that really had any steam were fantasy-based MMOs, things like Ultima Online and Everquest.

When NCsoft green-lit City of Heroes, they were really taking a bold chance. MMORPGs were a niche industry relegated mostly to what were perceived by the mainstream as geeks in their parents' basements. Would it make money? Maybe not, but they rolled the dice anyway, they took a chance and provided the necessary funding to make it happen.

It was at least three years before the game came to fruition and launched. Take a second and think about that. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to fund even a small team of developers, artists, designers, writers, and other people needed to develop a game like City of Heroes for three years? Millions of dollars, from a company that, at the time, was virtually unheard of and was much smaller than it is today. If City of Heroes flopped, it may very well have bankrupted NCsoft. But you know what? They rolled the dice anyway. They scraped up the funding to make City of Heroes happen. Without their scrappiness and faith in the game's founders, all of these posts and discussions wouldn't be happening today.

When City of Heroes launched, it did pretty well in the marketplace. A lot of players latched onto it immediately and became the core fan base that is still with the game today. But just a short six months later in November 2004, one of the most well-funded games launched to a lot of publicity and fanfare. World of Warcraft had finally arrived. Comparing Blizzard to NCsoft is like comparing McDonald's to your local mom 'n pop burger hole in the wall. Blizzard had poured money into WoW's development like an open spigot. They threw millions at slick marketing campaigns. They rented acres of space at conventions, held flashy parties for fans and the media, hired Mr. T, Aubrey Plaza, Ozzy Osbourne, and other famous personalities to pitch their game.

NCsoft was now fighting frickin' Chuck Norris. Who the hell wants to fight Chuck Norris? The answer: NCsoft. In spite of all of the hoopla and what had to be a bit depressing news of watching World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers climb past 10 million under the blitz of vast sums of money and media coverage, did NCsoft back down? HELL NO! They doubled down! They coughed up yet another round of funding and developed City of Villains, which launched in October 2005. And you know what? IT WORKED. Back when MMORPG companies used to publish their subscriber numbers because investors demanded it, City of Heroes reached a peak in the fourth quarter of 2005. Remember, this was when World of Warcraft was also at its strongest. City of Heroes (and Villains!) was not just surviving, it was thriving in the face of one of the most incredible corporate challenges ever.

Shortly after that, we lost several of our key developers. Jack Emmert who, more than anyone else, was the Founding Father of the game, left. As did Zeb Cook, who spearheaded City of Villains. Some even created games to compete directly with City of Heroes in the very genre that NCsoft paid dearly to create. Subscriber numbers started lagging. The studio was left in the hands of people who were inexperienced at running such a large project. It's probably time to start winding things down and go into maintenance mode until the game goes into the red and they kill it off, right? HELL NO!!! They doubled down again! They put their full faith and confidence in Matt Miller and Melissa Bianco who at the time, while nice folks to be sure, on paper were probably ill-equipped to run the development of a project anything close to the magnitude of City of Heroes.

NCsoft didn't just sit on our hard-earned $15 per month, they continually reinvested it. They funded this crazy notion that Mac players might enjoy a popular MMO. They paid to fly developers, marketing reps, community relations folks, artists, and others around the country to events like Comic-Con, PAX, PAX East, various meet-and-greets, and others I'm probably forgetting. They paid to rent rooms at hotels and event venues and funded Hero-Cons and Player Summits. They funded the development of yet another expansion, Going Rogue. When Paragon Studios came to them and said, "Hey, we want to change our entire financial model to something that is new, kind of risky and largely untested, but we think it will make us stronger," did they become complacent and stifle a weird new innovation that would let players consume valuable company resources without even paying if they don't want to? HELL NO! They doubled down yet again, gave the green light, and put their faith in Brian Clayton, Ross Borden, and others who boldly charged forward.

After all of that, do you honestly think that NCsoft is shutting down City of Heroes because they want to? Do you honestly think they've poured millions into the game just because, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time? Do you honestly think that NCsoft is just a heartless collective of accountants, managers, HR people, and even a CEO that didn't agonize over this decision, who, for whatever reason, thinks that cutting Paragon Studios was essential to the company's well being, maybe even survival? Just like Paragon Studios is the spiritual child of Matt Miller, Melissa Bianco, Brian Clayton, and so many others, NCsoft is the spiritual child of Taek Jin Kim, and I assure you that the last thing that he or any other person at NCsoft is out to do is to take food off the tables of our Paragon Studios friends or to alienate a strong community of gamers. Not only does that not make sense, but I genuinely fear that going forward in that mindset is THE most poisonous thing I can think of to our efforts to save Paragon City.

Guys, to paraphrase Sigmund Freud, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. NCsoft isn't just City of Heroes, it is also Guild Wars. It is also Lineage. It is also Aion. They said that City of Heroes no longer fits in the long-term goals of their company. Typically, this means that they have projects that need resources, resources currently being consumed by Paragon Studios and City of Heroes. Maybe it's not money. Maybe it is money but indirectly, such as the ability to borrow enough to fund something else, but not being able to because of their commitments to Paragon Studios if it remains under their umbrella. They need those resources, and while I know how much this game means to you all, it's really unfair for us to ask NCsoft to sacrifice their long-term goals for us, not after they have sacrificed so much and taken so many chances on us.

However...

If you read their statement, it clearly says, "the continued support of the franchise no longer fits within our long term goals for the company." (Emphasis mine.) I really want people to pay attention to how they haven't precluded the possibility that someone else could take up the banner of City of Heroes, and I am very hopeful and optimistic that this is exactly what might happen. Perhaps Paragon Studios and City of Heroes is more like a child than we imagine. Since birth, NCsoft has been our loving and caring parent. They have given us the resources we need to be successful and to build a community that is caring and strong, and we are eternally grateful. No matter what happens, for eight and a half years, NCsoft has been directly responsible for a great deal of my own personal growth. In creating the Paragon Wiki and managing the Titan Network, I have gained technical and management skills I never would have had were it not for their support. If it weren't for NCsoft's greatness, I wouldn't be spearheading an effort to save Paragon City. Aside from the fact that there wouldn't be a Paragon City to save, I would have spent the past eight and a half years probably being a couch potato, completely unmotivated to try to make any kind of difference like I am now.

NCsoft is not our enemy. Apathy is our enemy, because as long as we care about Paragon Studios and City of Heroes as much as we do, I honestly believe that NCsoft would love for us to succeed. If City of Heroes stays afloat and continues to be successful, it won't just be a testament to our community and the staff of Paragon Studios. It will be a testament to NCsoft who took a chance in 2001, who risked so much and dedicated so much to making our community so great. I ask you all to please remember this when you post messages, write e-mails, write letters, or represent our community in any other way. We aren't fighting NCsoft, we are asking them to do what they have always done: to do what it takes to create and support a thriving community.

To NCsoft: Right now, with the decisions you make in the coming days and weeks, this is your chance to join with us. This is your chance to experience what we have, what it's like to be a hero, having people looking up to you with gratitude pouring forth and saying with one unified voice, "Thank you for saving us!"

Hey all, I don't want anyone to think that I'm avoiding responding to threads like this. I don't have a lot of time, so I'll keep it short.

Maj, buddy, I hear you. I know where you're coming from. But we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one, because I just don't think you could be more wrong. I hope that someday we can share a couple of beers* and I can rub it in just how you you were. Other folks have posted above comments that are probably better than what I can come up with right now on the small amount of sleep I've gotten the past few days, so I'm going to basically say "ditto" so I can continue reaching out to some media contacts to help us drum up support.

I do ask that even though you think it's over, a done deal, right now, that you stay tuned. I really think that it's just a matter of time before you will see the tide turning, and when it does, we'll welcome your help with open arms.

Thanks for everything you've added to the game over the years, and I hope that we can argue about this for a long time to come.

* To make sure this is crystal clear, we each would have our own respective beers. We wouldn't be swapping bottles or anything, that would be gross. And besides, I don't like beer, so when this metaphorical event takes place, I will probably be drinking a soda or, if something stronger is needed, a margarita or one of those awesome Trader Vic's mai tais.

I'm still processing a ton of e-mail, PMs, Facebook updates, and forum posts, so I probably still have some articles to add to this list, but I did update it with a FANTASTIC article over at GamerZines.com. Thanks for the heads-up! Okay community, Call to Action time, let them know how much we appreciate their coverage!

Cross-posted on the Titan Network

So I was talking to one of our heroes and said, "Crap, there's no way I'm going to be able to keep that 'Thank the media' thread updated with all of these links."

... [A few seconds pass as I pondered what I had just said.]

WOOT!!! There's no way I'm going to be able to keep that 'Thank the media' thread updated with all of these links!

I mean, seriously, of all the problems that could be plaguing us, that's an AWESOME one to have! So, long story short, I'm going to stop posting links to every article about our efforts here. But fear not, because we STILL need to get the word out, we STILL need to show our undying gratitude to these media outlets that are giving us the attention we need, and the NCsoft Public Relations department is STILL going to know how much traction we've got!

Media Coverage Spreadsheet

Bookmark that site. It's a list of media organizations large and small that have been covering us. Everything from tech bloggers to massive media organizations, over 50 articles so far and counting. So keep posting those comments, keep sharing this stuff on Twitter and Facebook, keep spreading the word far and wide to your friends, supergroups, coalitions, and anyone else you can and we WILL pull through this!

If you see something we've missed, post it in the replies here and we'll try our best to catch it.

Disclaimer: This is speculation, so please don't go linking other posts to this one and using it as "proof" of anything.

I've been under severance agreements in the past, and I strongly suspect that all of the Paragon Studios staff are under one now. Basically it says something to the effect of, "If you agree to these terms [A, B, C, ...], then we will continue to pay you for twelve weeks." The exact terms and length of severance vary, but it gives employees a cushion to keep living on while they search for a new job, which when you've just been laid off, is very important--even moreso if you're someone like Matt Miller who has a wife and kids to feed, but really, true for anyone in this situation.

If Matt (or anyone else) violates the terms of this severance, not only will NCsoft stop paying them, but they could very well try to get any payments already paid under the agreement back, which could be financially devastating.

It's pretty standard for severance agreements to have clauses that agree not to talk about the terms of severance, not to portray the company in a bad light, and more than anything else, not to compete or otherwise do anything that could cause financial harm to the company. If Matt Miller or any other former Paragon Studios staff member is under a severance contract, as I strongly suspect they all are, they absolutely, positively could not respond to a post like this. Not now, not for weeks, maybe not for months.

I hope that precisely what you proposed comes to pass, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't make posts like these, I'm glad to see the community and I thinking along the same lines, and I hope that at least some of the Paragon Studios staff are also thinking along these lines even though I know that if they are, they dare not talk about it. But if you don't see any kind of response, don't get frustrated. This really is something they absolutely, positively cannot talk about.

Hey all, so I'm working on our next Call to Action item, this one hopefully fun. Before I make it all official, I wanted to get some input and put some feelers out for interest.

The idea is to have the First Annual (that's right, I plan on having MORE!) City of Heroes Save The World Meet-and-Greet. Via our Titan Network forum, we will get a bunch of volunteers in and around major cities around the world to choose venues, and all on the same night (probably a weekend in October), we hold a get-together of massive proportions. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people all getting together with fellow players to hang out and have some fun. Hopefully we'll get people who can record the events, maybe even put together something like Google Hangouts so that we can talk to people at events in other cities and/or people who can't make it can tune in.

The goals, as it relates to our Save Paragon City! effort, are as follows:

• The primary goal is to have fun. Hopefully this goes without saying. Whatever ultimately happens with City of Heroes, it never hurts to take a break, throw back, and enjoy some camaraderie.
• The secondary goal is to continue rallying interest in City of Heroes. Around this time, I suspect that interest might start to wane in our efforts, and I want to keep everyone's spirits high and our front line warriors motivated to continue their efforts.
• The tertiary goal is to get footage for a project I'm still working out in my head, a "Here's why you shouldn't kill this game" package that I want to give to NCsoft in the stretch that, quite simply, will blow their minds and make them understand what this means to us.
• The quaternary goal is to see if we can find someone who knows what the term for a fifth goal is. Quintenary? I don't know. But if we can't figure that out, we're pretty much stuck at this point.

So I'm posting this message not as the official Call to Action thread, but to see if this is something that people would be interested in working on with me. If and when this takes place, you'll find details on coordination on the Titan Network forums at the link above. The organizers of these events would have to be willing to really step up, it will take a lot of time, and you'll also be on the hook for arranging things like funding of the venue, either by finding somewhere cheap/free enough that you can foot the cost of it, or by getting people to throw in contributions to cover any expenses like room rental, food, etc.

Also, if we do this, we'll have to pick a weekend. The sad fact is that there is no weekend that would be perfect for everyone. Still, how far out do you think we should plan such an event? A month? Six weeks? Are there any major events coming up, like a convention or something like that, that would clash with the plan, something that I would particularly need to avoid?

Anyway, let me know, and thanks again for all of your continued support!

Holy crap, it's...

...That one is for you, Zwillinger.

Thank you for injecting levity into this whole ordeal, it was a much-needed shot in our arm. I laughed so hard at your post! I can't tell you how much I think you rock. When we went to the focus group and the Pummits (Yes, Pummits!), hanging out with you was the highlight of my trip.

I absolutely adore Fusionette. My take on the character is that she represents the best of our heroes. When trouble strikes, she doesn't run. She doesn't falter. She charges in and does what needs to be done. Does she sometimes get in over her head? Well I don't know, answer me this: Did Statesman and Hero 1 worry about getting in over their head during the First Rikti War?

I love Fusionette because she is what most of my characters aspired to be. Brave, quirky, spirited, loving, and never willing to back down from adversity.