So no response from NC Soft?

That's a good thing.

It means they are clearly aware of the community's response but are taking their time to make a careful, measured response.

It seems likely the decision to sunset CoH was a knee-jerk reaction. A second similar reaction to the fans could really blow up in their face.

Add to that that if they are also in talks with anyone about the game's future, then they won't want to speak publicly.

In other words, no news is good news.

"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

I have a different view. Whatever happens, we'll find out soon enough.

"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

It's fine to anticipate that City of Heroes won't survive NCSoft's deadline, but fanbases have been able to get companies to reconsider such decisions before.

Personally I don't think NCSoft will reverse its decision to shut the game down and re-hire Paragon Studios, but maybe they can be convinced to sell the game in its current state, and the IP, to investors wanting to keep the game open. And perhaps that will allow Paragon's emloyees to come back together under a new banner.

Well, I don't think they're going to reverse their decision and rehire everyone--and I don't even think that's desirable at this point--but I do think it is certainly possible they might sell the studio to an investor.

This is very similar to my thoughts on the matter as well.

Don't be so negative. Its entirely possible that something will work out in the end.

On topic, its just been a week. Basically we are just at the start of this entire disaster. If we get up to a week or two before November 30th with nothing to show for our efforts, then yeah, its probably a bust. But its still way to early to be giving up now.

Careful how quickly you condem Western Publishers for not picking up CoH. It's entirely possible NCSoft is unwilling to sell the IP or wants more money than others are willing to pay to acquire the IP.

Now I take a slightly different view on this one. Due to how the link between us and Zwill et al, they told us as soon as they found out.

*shrugs* To be honest, there are no real proper ways to announce the shuttering of a studio/company. Everyone gets hurt, some people just dont read the email, others hear via word of mouth.

Hell, for all we know, Zwill/Posi/War Witch etc could have heard rumblings of it a few months ago, and yet 30th August was the actual confirmation date, and they were just hoping for it not to be happening (or it was actually due end of September/October for all we know).

*shrugs* We will never know...

Well, not unless we get a Delorian, hit 88mph and put spy camera's in all the necessary rooms that is.

This is what I'd assume. If they're talking about a deal at all, they're not going to say anything until all the terms and plans to move forward are settled.

Likewise, I'm actually happy that there hasn't been much word on refunds or transferals of points. I think if there was it would indicate that yes, they are still fully intending to shut the game down. What happens to points, paid game time, etc. would likely be details that would need to be addressed in any sale, and similarly wouldn't be divulged until completely nailed down (and even then, they might give the option of players transferring them to the new setup or applying them to other NCsoft games).

Maybe they want that 6 million they lost bk

Meanwhile, the dev team atrophies and goes to find other work, and the AMA will eliminate any suspense and surprise from future content that may be developed if/when the game is saved.

With all the people pouring their hearts out about personal stories, it's gonna be miiiighty awkward if the game is saved.

This, I think. I think its actually GOOD that we have heard nothing yet. Someone, somewhere is mulling stuff over. What would be bad is a negative announcement from NCSoft.

I agree that being patient is extremely difficult right now; the uncertainty is killing me. But we all have to just hold on.

If "discussions" are going somewhere, that might not happen.

On the contrary. I think it'll bring us closer together as a group; not counting the few jerks that are around.

**** no.

Just to point out that NCsoft had *no* dealings with the final TR event. That was all arranged by Destination Games. They started working on it when they got the announcement, They wanted to go out with a bang (and the blowing up of a planet). So they did it.

However, the details of that were *not* made public right away... and infact, up until the final day, there was no real information about how the game was going to end, apart from that it was going to be "big".

You cannot blame NCsoft for not saying anything about the TR closure, because it was *not* on their hands. Same with the event that CoX will do. That will be up to the CoX developers and *not* the NCsoft suits (unless of course it involves blowing up the NCsoft head offices.. .then i think they might try to stop that from happening )

In terms of the subs winding down, it was easier for CoX to do... there were however *no* points (nor stipeds) to refund.

This is exactly right, and why I have been very careful to make sure in all of my communications to avoid saying things like NCsoft "made a mistake" or implying by saying they should reverse course.

They made a decision, one that I feel like we're going to have to respect: that City of Heroes is not in their long term goals as a company. As far as I'm concerned, we're not asking them to change their mind about that; if I decide that skydiving isn't in my personal long term goals, I don't want people protesting and trying to make me feel like I've made the wrong decision.

My communications have focused on a way out of this in which we all win, which is NCsoft allowing the game to be sold to another company. That way, we get to celebrate winning the battle to save City of Heroes, and NCsoft gets to tell its customers and investors that even when a game isn't in the long term goals of its company, it still cares so deeply about the community that it is willing to do something that is very rare in the industry: let its property go to someone to whom City of Heroes is in their long term goals; that it works very hard to build incredible communities like ours, and even when it gets to the point where it can no longer support that community, it takes necessary steps to ensure that the community continues. That's a PR and marketing win, and in no way does it reflect badly on their decision to divest City of Heroes from NCsoft's portfolio of games.

Please remember our message, because it is very important: Our goal is not to sink NCsoft. It is to save City of Heroes. I know that some of you disagree with this and I understand completely, but to me personally, if NCsoft works to ensure that City of Heroes continues in the hands of someone who is interested, that really makes them a damn cool company in my eyes. No, I'm not happy about it deciding to shed itself of Paragon Studios and City of Heroes, but at least in the end, they will have done the right thing.

As for Paragon Studios, when you see me referring to the really short time window of opportunity in which we're working on our immediate goals, this is the time window I'm talking about. In my mind, IF Paragon Studios is interested in re-forming under its own banner, that would be the optimal solution. However, I'm keenly aware of three facts killing us on the clock: 1) These people have a proven track record of developing a profitable game, 2) they have a lot of friends and contacts within the industry who can get them in the door, and 3) they need to put food on their table. I am under no illusion whatsoever that 80+ people are pounding the pavement right now looking for jobs. I'm guessing that the total number waiting around to see how this all plays out before looking for other work is exactly zero.

IF Paragon Studios is interested in re-forming under its own banner, time is of the essence. It's only a matter of time before we start losing Matt Millers, Melissa Biancos, or other key members of the team that would be difficult (and frankly, a bit demoralizing to the community) to replace. That's why I've been so insistent on us keeping longer-term goals with larger time windows out beyond our laser-focused efforts so far in communicating with the press and NCsoft what our optimal goal is.

I haven't heard back yet from NCsoft, but I hope to. If not directly, then through the media or even through a third party. And yes, I also subscribe to the notion that at least for now, no news is good news. I'm optimistic that it means that they are putting their heads together within the halls of the company and asking, "How are we going to get out of this?" and that's a good thing. I want them thinking that.

Not really. All the Paragon staff have access to are existing tools and assets. They cannot code up new things for the end of the game. That's not directly comparable with the other examples here. The other studios did stay open and development changes were possible. That's not the case here. That aspect of this was up to NCSoft.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Folks who have long-term subscriptions paid past the sunset date should have had a response before now. That's the kind of info NCSoft should have had on-hand the day they closed the studio.