So, basically, check back in January then?
Yeah ... January... I'm not sensing anything here in time for Christmas... Oh well...
In the meantime, GL with the negotiations, Downix, et al.
The way I see it is if NCsoft decides tomorrow to sell off the game, the new team still has to do some things
1. Set up shop somewhere
2. Receive any and all software and hardware from NCSoft that is needed.
3. Make very well sure that the Ish 23 image is backed up in triplicate and stored off site safe and secure
4. Determine how many servers are coming back, all or some? Remember there has likely been some attrition to the CoH fanbase in the past 2 years, it is not logical to expect EVERYONE to return on relaunch day, but one can hope. But that is still the question: will ALL the servers come back? Are ALL needed? It might be better to restore HALF of them at first and then if there is enough demand to active the others one by one and let people transfer characters.
5. Set up the account system
6. Set up the payment system and determine subscription prices if any.
7. Set up website, setup forum
8. Set up download links for those that need to redownload the game
9. Create an update for those that DIDN'T uninstall the game that will point the game to the new servers.
10. Final decision to be made about the Sentinel files, partial restore or not used at all.
11. Possibly setup some sales and incentives to help pacify any lingering anger over the loss of characters (there will be some, it is inevitable), and there will be some players that will have a sense of entitlement about having some incentives at relaunch. Example: the first month of relaunch the celebrant badge is awarded to all toons that log in, and the first month is Double Xp.
12. Decide whether or not to let people buy the vet rewards all the way up to Tier 9 and unlock all the costume pieces that come with them. (I want that mecha armor back)
13. Veteran badges, the system was broken before the shutdown. Will it be fixed or the vet badges junked?
14. Hire GM's
15. Test the blazes out of the game before re-launch and do any major repairs needed. I think it was stated that the game image isn't in the best of shape but I can't recall.
16. When one registers their new account, is it going to be hero only and one would need to purchase a Villain code and a Praetorian code or will it just be all three? Also will key codes from any old CoH packages still work? I have some of my coh boxes and codes still floating around.
17. Update the Terms of Service as needed.
18. If NCSoft truly sells off the game and will have NO CONTROL at all over its future, that really must be made abundantly clear to everyone. There are some that have some bad feelings towards them which are not entirely unjustified.
19. If any ish 24 elements can be added in, great. If not, that's fine since the game would still be back.
Anyway the above list is just speculation, so who knows?
Hope, Forever Hope.