Just a lurker having spotted an email address, so I typed out my own letter to NCSoft. I'd join y'all in game, but between work and school, I have no free time to do so
Anyhow, here's the letter:To whom it may concern,
I am a concerned gamer. For the last 7-8 years, I have invested over a thousand dollars (and many hours) into playing City of Heroes, since the Beta of City of Heroes, through the City of Villains release (and Beta). After this time frame, I became an infrequent subscriber, jumping from game to game, but oft times returning to City of Heroes 3-4 times per year. I bought all of the costume packs that came out, many of the powersets that were released, and even after the game went Free to Play, I still came back as a paying subscriber on many an occasion.
I have created hundreds of characters, and have never maxed one out, as the process of making characters is by far one of the most innovative in the industry (of Massively Multiplayer Online Games). My highest level character only made it to 37, had I focused on him, he might have made fifty 10 times over, with all the time invested in designing characters. This alone, in my opinion, makes the game one of the best available on the market.
Beyond that, the next best thing about City of Heroes (over other games on the market) is it's community. You've met them. They've sent written letters to your executives. They've rallied from across the world, through the internet, to show their displeasure in regards to your decision. I stand with them, hoping that you will make a decision here in the near future, that allows this community to continue onward. At the very least, consider releasing the Intellectual Property to the developers who have continued to advance the game to it's current point, to take it somewhere where it will continue to be appreciated.
Your company's realignment should not be cause to end one of your strongest games to date in Western Countries. Many players here (in the US, I've found) find the grinding action games of Lineage and Aion to be boring and incapable of soothing their MMO itch. With the combination of a strong community, dedicated developers, free-from gameplay, and ground-breaking character development system, it remains probably one of the most innovative games of it's time, and puts to shame many other games on the market. Most certainly, all games within the same genre.
I ask very plainly: please, do not end what has become one of my most favorite games ever. Even if you choose to do so, please release the game to it's developers, so that they might try to let it live on. Your actions here in the next few months will have a staggering effect on the gaming market, as many prospective players will watch with either joy or horror as the game they have come to love comes to a bitter end, or a happy ending. I cannot guess what would happen to the embittered, but know that the grateful are a far kinder audience than those with a bone to pick.
Many thanks for your time,
Kevin Fee
a.K.a Ironcyte, Virtue Server