New zone?!

But then, that ends up meaning that there's no new content for some existing players/characters/toons to take part in.

Personally, I'd advocate additional material for villain-types to take part in, but I understand that there's limits to the dev's time. So, while I'm happy to have some characters/toons to take part in the action, it would be nice to have something else for them to do that was connected in some way to whatever was going on story-wise, that wasn't wholly involved with yet again saving the world, because there's certainly some opportunity for mischief to be had during all the hubbub.

Even if it was as small as a Wailer zone event heroside after that Hardcase mission.

It's not that the content doesn't exist. It's that they won't do it because they disagree with the scenario (not "story" as some call it) being set up. At least some of the people who have said they hate co-op have also said they avoid teaming, which IMO kind of puts them at odds with being able to judge whether co-op content is effective at its mechanical level.

Anyway, IMO there is no story in CoH. There are scenarios, and they are all basically "There are some enemies here and for some reason you need to fight them." Nothing you do will radically change you, the enemy, or the world they dwell in. This is actually pretty much the conceit of the entire superhero genre, so I don't have a problem with it. Any misgivings should dissapear with the deus ex pop-up message that reveals 95% of the scenario and is just as easily ignored.

That happens all the time. Villains spent years getting no content. PvP spent years getting no content. Players that don't do incarnate stuff got no content.

It doesn't matter what the MMO is about there will always be people that won't use the new stuff being added to any game.

Really?

Even if you ignore QoL stuff, don't story arcs and TFs count as content?

People keep repeating this.

First: Maelstrom. Still alive, yes ?

Second: Just because he wants to, does not mean he can. The IDF are powerful, but they are few, with only a single major city to draw their equipment and manpower from.

In fact, one potential strategy would be to let Cole's army take Paragon while all the metahumans go undercover/underground.
Either the IDF will disperse their forces to hold the place and suffer death by a thousand papercuts.
Or the army will move on to its next conquest and paramilitary forces will be brought in and/or established to keep order. Praetorian PD, the people who could not suppress Resistance or Ghouls, against every hero and villain group in Paragon. THAT will end well. For Primal Earth.