Discussion - Player Services Status Update 9/18/2012

As the long history of City of Heroes draws to a close we understand you have questions regarding the cessation of customer services such as recurring billing and outstanding account balances. Today we have some details regarding compensation and the refund process.

But before we get into the details, we want to personally share with you NCsoft’s sincere thanks to all of our fans that have spent time with us during the past eight years. We cannot reiterate how tough it was to make the final decision to close this wonderful chapter in our history. This has been a very special time for all of us, and we want to ensure we close this chapter with the best possible gaming experiences for everyone. To celebrate during the closing, we will host several of the popular events we have enjoyed in the past. Exact details and timing of these events will be shared shortly, as we are still nailing down specifics.

Now for the details, starting on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, all accounts which were previously subscribed as VIP as of September 1st, 2012 will be flagged as VIP for the remainder of the duration, sans recurring billing. Unfortunately we will not be able to flag any accounts that were not VIP as such during this period.

We will do our best to initiate automatic refunds Wednesday, September 26, 2012 for those customers who previously paid for either a recurring subscription or purchased Paragon Points using either credit cards or PayPal™ as set forth below:

• Outstanding subscription balances as of September 1, 2012 will receive a refund to the payment method used for the original purchase
• Customers who purchased Paragon Points after August 24, 2012 will receive a refund to the payment method used for the original purchase

• North America - Financial Institution, Account Number and Routing Number, and the 20-digit game time card applied to said account.
• United Kingdom - Sort code, Account Number and the 20-digit game time card applied to said account
• European Union – International Bank Account Number (or IBAN), Bank Information Code (or BIC) and the 20-digit game time card applied to said account
• In the event that a wire transfer is not possible, you may request to be mailed a check instead
• Players requesting a refund for a GTC in either of the above manners should anticipate their funds within 14 calendar days once approved.

Thanks, Zwill!

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

It wasn't what we wanted to hear, but thanks for the update! Hope all is well with you.

Thanks for the update Zwill ,

Well it seems after 8 years Ncsoft really pulled out all the stops to keep their loyal customers happy, shame I purchased a truck load of points on the 21st August .
Feel's a bit like, we don't want your money so here take back the odd change left over from your subscription and be gone.

pretty much tells me this game is over with and isnt coming back.even with our protests and such.

i just worry about some of the players here. real life for them isnt as easy as it is for me.

August 24th for Paragon Point purchases?

Awesome. Nature Affinity that came out on the 21st was a wise investment.

Zwill, I for one, appreciate all you've done during this time. It can't have been easy being left behind to close the store, as it were.

I bought my VIP again August 24th (I have been going on and off due to a move to FL). Does this mean I would get a partial subscription since I was subscribed as of the first? (If it doesn't, make sure that NCsoft uses the proceeds from my subscription to buy you lunch...)

Also...does this mean that the negotiations to save CoH has ended, or do those go on (hopefully)?

Again, thank you, Zwill. I know there are things you can't do, but I do appreciate all you have done to try to make this a little easier on us players. *hugs*

You gave us NC Soft's "thanks" so here's mine for them - "Thanks, NC Soft, for closing my favorite game ever without warning and with plenty of life still left in it, and thus relieving me of the burden of EVER wanting to buy, try or even hear about another game from your company."
Will my decision make a dent, or persuade them in anyway, shape or form? Nope, obviously not. Don't care. NC Soft is dead to me.
Good luck to you all though in your future endeavors, Zwill and the former Devs of Paragon Studios. You will be missed.

NC Soft... fail.

that is all.

Ice Ember

Well there's the details of the "delicate negotiations" we were told about. Nothing to do with the possibility of selling on the IP or a possible channel for resuscitation, merely ways of tieing up the financial loose ends.

Am I missing something? I don't think I've seen an official "Lights Out" announcement confirming that 30th November is the last day.

But... this really doesn't look hopeful.

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

While this is (sort of) good news, in that NCSoft is going to refund people who have essentially paid for a service they will no longer receive, it still does not, in my mind, make up for the abrupt way in which they closed down the game or the immediate and sudden dissolution of the development studio. It also does not really seem to even come close to what they offered at TR and AA's shutdown (even though such an offer is not one I would take them up on).

I, for one, will still fight for this game however I can until the first of December.

My account expires in May of 2013. I bought a one-year sub around the same month this year. Will the time I paid for beyond November 30 be lost or will I receive a refund?

I really wanted to try out the Mastermind Beast Mastery before it's all over, but of course we can't buy any more Paragon Points. I don't suppose there's some way to shunt my refund for oversubscription months into Paragon points for that? (I realize probably not, but you don't ask, you can't get, and if the answer is no then I'm no worse off.)

It's nice to finally hear something about refunds. I'll keep an eye on my bank account to see if/when it goes through.

All you people worried that this means the game is dead or that the "Save CoH" attempts have all failed - nothing has changed. NC Soft changing their mind was always the least likely occurence. The main chance the game has had since then is that NC Soft will allow another publisher (or the former Paragon employees themselves as a new company) to buy the game (IP, software, and all) and continue it under that new publisher's banner.

And that hope has not changed by NC Soft finally offering refunds, because NC Soft would not be involved in the "new" CoH.

Keep up the fight.

A little unclear on the refund of the subscription balance. Suppose, hypothetically, one had exactly 6 months left to go on September 1. Will they get a 3 month refund for December, January, and February, or a 6 month refund for September through February?

Obviously, the result I'm hoping for is that one of the hail mary passes in the air will succeed and there'll be another announcement about how the transfer to the new owners will handle. But for this announcement, about how recent point purchases and unused subscriptions are handled, this is a fair resolution. Thank you, and thank those involved in making this happen.