NCSoft's Official Response to Us
By
Acroyear2,
Posted on: 2012-10-02 13:55 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Quote:
No, I don't think it took him 5 weeks to do it, but it's all the more reason he wasn't doing his job as the company's PR guy. **** should have been done the day of the cancellation announcement.|
Originally Posted by Brillig
Really? You think it took 5 weeks to do that?
I think it was dropped on his desk this afternoon and he was told to make it look nice and get it out right away. |
You have bad news, you respond to it pro-actively... not by sitting on your thumbs for over a month and waiting for the shitstorm to blow over. That is literally half your job when you work in PR.
Main Hero: Chad Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1396 Badges
Main Villain: Evil Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1193 Badges
Mission Architect arcs: Doctor Brainstorm's An Experiment Gone Awry, Arc ID 2093
-----
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nethergoat
it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!
|
Quote:
Oddly, you seem to be agreeing with me in the particulars while insulting me with the initial comment.|
Originally Posted by mercykilling
Bullspit. If they REALLY wanted to sell...they'd still be tabling offers. Which brings me to this.....there's been NOTHING out there about other game companies making offers for the CoX ip. Nothing. NDA usually mean you can't talk about what went on in the meetings, but not that "hey, we're attending." can't be announced. Nobody's announced it. At all. Isn't THAT curious?
End of the day? I'm STILL never going to purchase another NCSoft product....or recommend one to anybody I know. I suggest we all do the same. |
As for the NDAs - much of the time they do indeed include being unable to say you're negotiating. Especially with publicly traded companies.
Kosmos
Global: @Calorie
MA Arcs in 4-star purgatory: Four in a Row (#2198) - Hostile Takeover (#69714) - Red Harvest (#268305)
Quote:
No thanks, November 30 will be the last day I'll ever touch an NCSoft product. I'm also being mean and unreasonable by telling everyone I know not to buy stuff from them ever again.
|
Originally Posted by blackjak
Has NcSoft even sent out any invites to their other games to VIPs? No "Hey. We know you really like that game that we killed, but here's a shiney to make it all better." mentality? I'd think that some sort of sub package for GW2 at least to make the hurt better (for them) would be in order.
|
Quote:
Likewise.
|
Originally Posted by Zemblanity
No thanks, November 30 will be the last day I'll ever touch an NCSoft product. I'm also being mean and unreasonable by telling everyone I know not to buy stuff from them ever again.
|
Oh, I didn't think anyone would take them up on what would surely be a paltry "gift", but I haven't heard anyone speak up in outrage at the gall of it so I figured they didn't bother.
Quote:
I think many would take great offense of that as is. There was already angry speculation thta NCsoft was killing this game so that the players would go to GW2. And that gesture would have looked as if those people were right.
|
Originally Posted by blackjak
Has NcSoft even sent out any invites to their other games to VIPs? No "Hey. We know you really like that game that we killed, but here's a shiney to make it all better." mentality? I'd think that some sort of sub package for GW2 at least to make the hurt better (for them) would be in order.
|
-Female Player-
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by mauk2
Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words.
"Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard.  Never change, E_L! |
Quote:
You already bought it. Can't return it. So, wouldn't it be better if you kept playing it, but never bought an in game item, that way you took up space on their servers?
|
Originally Posted by I Burnt The Toast
My response to NCSoft - They will never see one more penny from me!
 |
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
*sigh* Really not the news I wanted to hear. Though I question only one part of the response, and that's "No one wanted to buy it"?
How much were they asking for it? o.O I can't believe no one was willing to buy it.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
It appears to have been a VERY easy decision for them to close Paragon Studios since Paragon Studios had no idea it was coming. They don't seem to have given Paragon Studios any idea of what it would take to stay open BEFORE the closure, and they don't seem to have acted in good faith when trying to sell the studio or the game.
If City of Heroes is so special, then they would maintain the game, even in stasis. After all, it was making money, wasn't it? City of Heroes is not Exteel. Or Dungeon Runners. Or Tabula Rasa. Or any other game that was leaking cash. City of Heroes was built on over eight years of success and was still succeeding. THAT is the game and the studio they decided to close down. How incredibly ridiculous!
Quote:
There's significant doubt that they negotiated in good faith. As many have already said, they likely asked for an overinflated price tag and proceeded with refusing to haggle downward.
|
Originally Posted by BrandX
*sigh* Really not the news I wanted to hear. Though I question only one part of the response, and that's "No one wanted to buy it"?
How much were they asking for it? o.O I can't believe no one was willing to buy it. |
Quote:
probably many willing to buy just like many are willing to buy a Mulsanne but the question is how many are (or were) able to buy it out of the ones that wanted to buy it? Maybe the price was too high for a start up and giving the nature and many with the cash may not itching to go into the gaming buisness or pick up a ready made MMO at this time. From what I hear, many gaming companies are cutting back (major players that is) or focus is not on the super hero genre. Or maybe the price that NCSoft wanted was deemed too high and this is a possibility since they probably wasnt itching to sell unless someone had deep enough pockets to make them an offer they couldnt refuse, which it seems no one did or couldnt that wanted to buy.
|
Originally Posted by BrandX
*sigh* Really not the news I wanted to hear. Though I question only one part of the response, and that's "No one wanted to buy it"?
How much were they asking for it? o.O I can't believe no one was willing to buy it. |
-Female Player-
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by mauk2
Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words.
"Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L! |
Friend of mine (@vhaillor2003) in-game posted the following, which I copy/paste here:
Quote:
|
"It was basically a "We feel really bad for setting that puppy on fire. We want you to know that we loved the puppy too. But once we doused in in gasoline and lit it on fire, we just couldn't put it out." "We even tried waving a fan at it to put the flames out and everything, but sadly all options are exhausted. Now let's please stop trying to put the puppy out, and instead hug and share happy memories of the puppy while it burns to death." And also please stop mentioning to everyone how we set puppies on fire." I wanted to respond to them with an "Oh NCSoft, I'm trying hard to see things from your perspective, but try as I might I just can't get my head lodged that far up my A**." |
Which I thought was one of the best summations I've yet seen.
Quote:
That sounds vaguely like a polite, businesslike threat to me. Nah, it's probably nothing...
| We wanted to let you know that your voices have been heard and your concerns have been taken into serious consideration. We appreciate the overwhelmingly constructive and positive messages in the emails, notes, and packages you've sent in support of the game. It has not been an easy decision for us to close Paragon Studios® and prepare to shut down City of Heroes. We've exhausted all options including the selling of the studio and the rights to the City of Heroes intellectual property, but in the end, efforts to do so were not successful. City of Heroes has a special place in all of our hearts, and we want to ensure its reputation and the memories we share for the game end on a high note. |
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
To clarify Zwill's situation, in his "last post as CM" thread, he was voluntarily leaving early so he could spend some time with his wife and kids before the job search REALLY began. (I imagine folks in their field end up trekking hither and yon for interviews and whatnot, and that can be seriously draining.)
Granted, the ENTIRE Paragon team got the shaft, but some (like Hit Streak) are still there for now. Zwill just chose to go a bit earlier, and I can't say I blame him - he's got a family to support.
*****
All that being said, about the 'official' announcement, well... here's how my immediate train of thought went:
From:
"You know, maybe it might make a good video/PR to have actual PLAYERS (those of us in or near the Seattle area) get a bunch of those tiki torch things and do our own RL torchlight unity vigil right outside the NCsoft office..."
To:
"Actually, I think we'd be more inclined to set the place on fire and see how many heroes show up to put it out..."
To:
"Still, I'm tempted to go down there anyway and give them a piece of my mind!"
To:
"Probably not a good idea. They're already using outdated mental software, giving them even a piece of MY mind would be like trying to install Windows 8 on a Commodore 64."
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
Quote:
Why I asked how much they were wanting for it. |
Originally Posted by Evil_Legacy
probably many willing to buy just like many are willing to buy a Mulsanne but the question is how many are (or were) able to buy it out of the ones that wanted to buy it? Maybe the price was too high for a start up and giving the nature and many with the cash may not itching to go into the gaming buisness or pick up a ready made MMO at this time. From what I hear, many gaming companies are cutting back (major players that is) or focus is not on the super hero genre. Or maybe the price that NCSoft wanted was deemed too high and this is a possibility since they probably wasnt itching to sell unless someone had deep enough pockets to make them an offer they couldnt refuse, which it seems no one did or couldnt that wanted to buy.
|
If they said a million dollars, Id say that sounds reasonable if they had no plans to ever do anything with it again.
If they said 20 million dollars, Id say that doesn't sound reasonable if they had no plans to ever do anything with it again.
But I don't know their plans at all, but since they said they were willing to sell the IP but there was no takers, I just wonder why no one would spend the million.
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
Quote:
BA-ZING!!!! |
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite
"Still, I'm tempted to go down there anyway and give them a piece of my mind!"
To: "Probably not a good idea. They're already using outdated mental software, giving them even a piece of MY mind would be like trying to install Windows 8 on a Commodore 64." Michelle aka Samuraiko/Dark_Respite |
Ye-OWTCH!!!
I felt that blast of vitriol way down here in Texas!
Reminds me of Delenn protecting Babylon 5: "There is only ONE human captain who has ever defeated the Mimbari. He is BEHIND me. You are in FRONT of me! If you value your lives, be somewhere ELSE!"
I'm glad I'm behind you, Samuraiko! ^.^
Weak Hit Streak... lock my thread (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=297844) and send me to page nine of someone else's. I don't see you locking the other threads pertaining to NCSoft's latest announcement.
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=297829
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=297835
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=297842
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=297838
Why not lock these and send them to depths of this thread? Did you just not like my thread because it wasn't full of delusional "we can still save CoH" banter? I was honestly attempting to be constructive. Sometimes that also requires being a little harsh.
Quote:
*grins*|
Originally Posted by Atlantea
BA-ZING!!!!
Ye-OWTCH!!! I felt that blast of vitriol way down here in Texas! Reminds me of Delenn protecting Babylon 5: "There is only ONE human captain who has ever defeated the Mimbari. He is BEHIND me. You are in FRONT of me! If you value your lives, be somewhere ELSE!" I'm glad I'm behind you, Samuraiko! ^.^ |
S/D_R (from the bridge of White Star TITAN): "This is Samuraiko of the CITY OF HEROES community. Paragon Studios is under our protection. Withdraw or be bankrupted."
NCSoft: "Negative. We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your community."
S/D_R: "Why not? Only one game studio has ever survived battle over the CITY OF HEROES game. They are behind us. You are in front of us. If you value your PR, be somewhere else. And leave the IP with us while you're at it."
*****
Or if we wanted to go with something a bit more dignified...
Quote:
|
The Community speaks in many languages but only one voice. A language which is not English or French or German or Catgirl or l337. It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of heroism and the language of villainy. It is the language of the heart and of the language of the soul; but always it is the same voice; it is the voice of our heroes, villains, rogues, and vigilantes speaking through us, and the voice of all our characters waiting to be created; it is the small still voice that says: "We are one." No matter the server, no matter the archetype, no matter the alignment, no matter the build. We are one. No matter the pain, no matter the trolling, no matter the frustrations, no matter the fear. We are one. Here, gathered together in common cause we agree to recognize this singular truth and this singular rule: that we respect this game and respect one another. Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the community, the soul of creativity, the torchlight that will light the way to a better future. We are one. |
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
This will cost you A lot of money and fan support!
The morning the closure notice was posted my best friend called me to tell me about it. He never calls. We always text so I knew something was up. We had both come back to the game a few weeks prior after long hiatuses. The news literally felt like a punch to the gut. I just stood there for a few minutes stunned and speechless. I was numb. Then I got behind the save CoH movement. I signed the petition, showed up to the rally. There wasn't much more I could do but sit back and let the people in better positions to do something than I was get to work. I was hopeful at first, but that hope faded slowly and I went through the grieving process. Now I plan to log in on November 30th and remember the awesome times I had in CoH. I'm not going to be sad. I'm not going to be mad. I'm going to celebrate the extraordinary lives I got to live because of CoH. I simply want others to be able to do the same. Far too many people are carrying on the delusion that they can still save CoH. It isn't going to happen, and holding onto the hope that it will will only make the end bitter. You don't snap people out of their delusions by coddling them. Sometimes you just have to slap them across the face.
Have the discussion without the personal attacks, please.
Thank you.
Jessie Lawrence
Assistant Community Manager
Paragon Studios
'Like' us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Circle us on Google+
Watch us Live on Twitch.TV every Wednesday!
Quote:
And for the community's next trick, we will now detour the Mississippi River through Nebraska. |
Originally Posted by Hit Streak
Have the discussion without the personal attacks, please.
Thank you. |
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)
"Hope" isn't my cup of tea, but I wouldn't say that it's delusional to not give up a fight even if it's unlikely that you'll win. Nor does it necessarily have to lead to bitterness upon failure.
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
Quote:
While we can only speculate about the specifics behind the scenes and all, I agree completely about the modern corporate business mindset and how it relates to endeavors such as these that the customers/community/players/people engage in... And how it's sort of a terribly bad relationship, really.|
Originally Posted by Darth_Khasei
Understandably perspective has been lost in the entire episode.
This really was not about COH for NC SOFT. It was more about the new projects Paragon was working on. NC SOFT decided to go in a different direction shutting down the entire studio. COH was just a casualty of war so to speak. IMHO, NC SOFT made no real effort to work out modern alternative ways to sell the game, it was the traditional pay us the overvalued price or the game is locked away in our vault forever type deal. Pretty typical of the corporate mentality of today's world, which is something I feel ALL MMO players should take note of before investing the kind of time and apparently real life feelings into any MMO that was invested by some in COH. It is something you have so little control over and does not have anywhere near the same value to the people that actually make the decisions on how long they are going to allow you to play it, than it does for you. This is an opportunity for us all to learn this hard lesson on control, lack thereof and what to invest in emotionally when you have no control and the one's that do only care about money and not the emotional impact of the societies built around the games they peddle. For me it is lesson learned. |
What a shame that this happens with Paragon Studios, as they were the most human/ down-to-earth development studio with true heart that's been out there in this modern industry.
...But yeah, for the type of emotional investment and attachment some of us enjoy putting into these pastimes, I think tabletop games may be where I go for this sort of thing now.
I'm not saying that I'll never love again (and I'm also not going to stop helping make noise and push the saveCOH movement forward, however which way it goes), but I'm definitely bailing on the mmo scene for a while (outside of CoH).
Honestly, there's nothing out there that interests me at all. CoH was the only place that came close to satisfying me after my old game of SWG was ruined (NGE). CoH lacked some things that I loved about SWG, but it made up for it in great ways and I was quite happy here. So, you never know... but, I really don't see another game coming along that'll satisfy my interests... and then you add in the reliability factor and all that? Yeah, forget it. Not interested.
These games have just become too big financially to create, develop and sustain that I see little chance that my (nonstandard) interests will be given attention in this economic climate and with the business mindset that is so prevalent.
Also, somewhat related... I like old games. Give me a game with 7+ years of development and richness and depth. I'm not interested in the new flashy graphics, but shallow amount of content of a new game. I'd say, I'll wait a few years and try them then... but then they're "old" and ready to be axed anyway.
Ridiculous.
*picks up a bag of dice*
All the graphics you need and no CEOs to stop us.
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
There is no sub for GW2 just buy the game and play.