Eden ran into some financial problems that put a roadblock on all their products. They've just cleared up the worst of these according to a recent post on their forum by Doc Vahz himself, so things are finally moving forward again.
Note that Eden Studios is two guys, with day jobs outside Eden, and that the entire table-top rpg industry has taken some heavy financial hits over the past two years, most notably the collapse of multiple distributors that went under without paying what was owed to various game companies nor returning product. For a small company like Eden, that's a financial kick in head. More than one company didn't get up from similar hits.
Official word from Eden is that it's still coming but no official ETA. Check out Edens forums, "Community" on the sidebar at the link Malohin provides, for the most up-to-date info.
Also note that I'm in no way affiliated with Eden Studios in any official capacity. I'm just a fan and any errors in this post are my mistakes due to human error. Just to be clear. :-)
yeah =O_o= even paladium tooka hit. though theres was due to some nasty insider treachery. still the sentiment is the same. RPG companies lately it seems have been under the gun.
So you mean you'll put down your rock, and I'll put down my sword; and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?
Dubbed first knight of pep-istan by her majesty Queen Pepcat. first catmonaut to walk onna moon.
PENGUIN!!!...(^)>
...............C(...)D
.................m.m
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George Vasilakos, Zombielord Eden Studios: (2006-Dec-26 21:11) Im hoping once I get a few things off my plate (buisness-wise) and get All Tomorrow's Zombies and Eden Studios Presents 3s PDFs out and the hardcopies working at the printer - I will have time to devote to cleaning up the Coh corebook PDF and posting it - then getting the printer geared up for it ... so Id say sometime in january is my target date at this point... that way all the naysayers can see that a finished product in on its way
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(Typos are all his. :-) )
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George Vasilakos, Zombielord Eden Studios: (2007-Feb-07 14:24) No new updates yet. Sorry.
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*sigh* I wish them luck, but two years behind schedule is an awful long time for a licensor to wait for the licensee to deliver...
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Malohin // Characters
26 months and counting... Nothing new yet...
Eden Studios Discussion Boards > City of Heroes RPG > Update
2 years, 6 months and counting... Nothing new yet...
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George Vasilakos, Eden Studios
(8/9/07 12:16 pm)
Sorry no update.
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Eden Studios Discussion Boards > City of Heroes RPG > Update
A friend of mine actually got signed up as a Beta tester a while ago. We've tinkered around with the game a bit making some characters and running some combats in the level 1-20 range. We'll move up to Level 33 or so next I think. I'll not comment or give an opinion on the system, as I don't think I'm supposed to do that. I don't think there is much traffic on their testing forum either though as they've been busy with other things.
It's still vaporware. >8P By the time it's released, it'll be sadly, seriously out of date with the developments of the storyline in-game. Just look at faultline: the majority of anything they had written up pre-i8 is worthless now. Similar for anything they had written up for the RCS, which is now the RWZ.
There's no reason they couldn't follow the same storyline changes with add-on products. Given their non-release history though, that will probably be unlikely. There is only one thing that seems "out of date" in what I saw, and it's related to one of the power sets that was added in a later issue. But, since I've not been running the game, I haven't read the villain and story background sections. <shrug> I've never owned or played an Eden product prior to this, so my experience with their system is limited. It's a shame really, as I was looking forward to a hero system with an interesting levelling. I've never really liked the other systems that are around.
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[...] I was looking forward to a hero system with an interesting levelling. I've never really liked the other systems that are around.
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Have you looked at Mutants and Masterminds ...?
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[...] I was looking forward to a hero system with an interesting levelling. I've never really liked the other systems that are around.
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Have you looked at Mutants and Masterminds ...?
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I've looked at all of them. Pretty much all of them (except the d20 conversion I have hiding around somewhere) was designed with "levelling" as a secondary concern. About 90% of the time I'm a DM. When I'm a player, a level-based system is what I enjoy playing. Even White Wolf games are usually overly slow for me, though I did enjoy Demon for a bit. 
Most hero games are "build from a point total" systems, including Eden's. In those systems, levelling usually only amounts to buying back drawbacks or penalties you used at creation. That's not much incentive for "levelling"... no new toys and what not. Sure, most systems can be made to work that way, but they don't do it well, because that's not the focus of the system. Eden's levelling system requires less work up front to make it work compared to other systems I've looked over though.
Also, as I'm not the DM in this case, and the guy who is is less experienced, a less complex system is preferred on both sides. Now, MMOs and RPGs are entirely different beasts, but CoH has a very fast and loose, action-y combat system as compared to most MMOs. The RPG does not really replicate that feel as compared to other RPGs I've run and/or played. The GM has to work pretty hard to keep Eden's combat system moving at a reasonable pace. But then, their system isn't helped by the fact that I'm a tactically minded player that likes maps and minis. <shrug> Anything that can be done to bog it down, I've probably done. 
Still... it has more promise for me than M&M or Hero or whatever... if it ever comes out.
I haven't bought an RPG game in a while but this is one I definitely will purchase if it ever comes out. It would be worth it just to have the stats of the Freedom Phalanx, Vindicators, Regulators, Arachnos, and other major heroes and villains from the game.
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I haven't bought an RPG game in a while but this is one I definitely will purchase if it ever comes out. It would be worth it just to have the stats of the Freedom Phalanx, Vindicators, Regulators, Arachnos, and other major heroes and villains from the game.
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It's been a couple of years since the RPG was announced. I'd be surprised if groups like Arachnos (which weren't even around back then) are detailed in the game. There's no reason why Eden couldn't release "catch up" products that simulate all the issues that have come out in the intervening time, but given their current financial situation, I'm not sure that's viable... let alone whether potential buyers would be happy buying additional products to become current.
Announced 2005-Mar-14. 2 years, 10 months later (and counting) ...
Last official comment from Eden Studios I'm aware of:
Eden Studios Discussion Boards > City of Heroes RPG > Update
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George Vasilakos, Eden Studios (8/9/2007 12:16 pm)
Sorry no update.
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Last official comment from Cryptic / NCSoft / "Dem Guys:"
City of Heroes Official Forums > For Fun! > Roleplaying > Eden Studios' COH RPG (Any devs care to respond?)
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Jack Emmert (2007/10/02 06:29 PM)
Next time I run into the Eden guys, I'll ask...I usually see them during convention season.
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If anyone has a link to any more current official information, please do let us know.
Palladium took a hit? I thought they were immune to that, being of the "Not-D20" school.
Y'know, and with all the Palladium pushbacks, they have enough material that's propably finished and just waiting to go to press to keep them in the green for 20 years or so >.>
High hopes for the Eden Studios CoHRPG. If it ever comes out, I'll propably have the cash to buy it!
You can't spell Slaughter without laughter
All your gonna do is just farm behemoths anyways.
My thoughts on November 30.
Darkbridger recently reported that he'd found a comment by George Vasilakos of Eden Studios, conveniently located in the "Huh?" thread, and not in the "sticky" "Update" thread:
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"Im still awaiting some information from NCsoft before we move forward on the game."
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Also, note Eden Studio has updated their forum software, or moved it to a new provider, or the provider got bought, or whatever, so the links above point to the "new" URL.
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Malohin // Characters
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Darkbridger recently reported that he'd found a comment by George Vasilakos of Eden Studios, conveniently located in the "Huh?" thread, and not in the "sticky" "Update" thread:
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"Im still awaiting some information from NCsoft before we move forward on the game."
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Also, note Eden Studio has updated their forum software, or moved it to a new provider, or the provider got bought, or whatever, so the links above point to the "new" URL.
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Malohin // Characters
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Another update....
"NCsoft now owns the CoH/CoV property. Crytpic no longer does. This HAS effected our ability to release the game. Cannot go into details."
Mrph.
Well, I'll say this much -- and I think Jim Hague would agree with me. Writing for this game was a great experience, with a very cool group of folks working on it.
Given all of Eden's financial problems, I suspect that a kill fee is prohibitively unlikely at this point. C'est la vie -- such is the life of the professional game developer, sometimes.
(At this stage, essentially everything I wrote not counting some of the backstory of the various store owners would be out of date. Sometimes massively so. There was really no chance what I wrote would actually have appeared in print at this point anyway. So it goes.)
Nothing new on this front.
Link to last post by George Vasilakos
Think there is any chance someone at NCSoft will weigh in on this?
So... the Eden Studios City of Heroes RPG page shows an announcement in 2005-Mar and a note in 2006-Jun that says "Corebook and Monitor's Support Pack are nearing completion and getting ready to go to press."
That means we're coming up on two years since these products were announced. Anybody have any other verifiable news on this, or is it a dead horse?
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Malohin // Characters