I have a lot of spare time on my hands lately, so I've been able to more or less keep up with the discussion here in this thread and in the New Efforts thread. That doesn't at all guarantee that my understanding of Things As They Stand is accurate on any or all points; I've been taking a new medication for a few months that I'm beginning to suspect is interfering with my concentration and memory. I'm posting now because I see a lot of speculation evolving through imperfect repetition into fact(s)(for some), as well as imprecise language here or there from inside parties sparking more speculation to go off in the wrong directions. Since I myself have come to doubt (some of) what I know, I'll just leave this dump truck full of salt here for any and all to use as they see fit, and ask that the parties truly in the know please correct me if you feel it's necessary.
At this point, Downix and a group of unknowns is in negotiations with NCSoft to try to obtain some part of City of Heroes. These negotiations have been ongoing for several months, and are likely to continue for several more before an agreement is reached. What that agreement will consist of is unknown and at this time cannot be known. While Downix & Co. are asking for certain things, such as the outright purchase of the City of Heroes intellectual property, there is no guarantee whatsoever that a period of negotiations measured in years will conclude with NCSoft agreeing to anything. If this worst case scenario comes to pass, it will be because NCSoft is acting from a business standpoint, not because they have any negative emotions towards fans of the game.
While Downix is a part of the negotiating team, AND he is a member of staff of Missing Worlds Media, it is untrue that Missing Worlds Media is in negotiations with NCSoft in any way, shape, form or manner.
Missing Worlds Media is of course forging ahead with their City of Titans game, which they are planning to be a spiritual successor to City of Heroes. How long it will be before that game is ready for release is also probably a period of time measured in years still.
Heroes and Villains is another game in development, which also has as part of its vision that it will be a spiritual successor to City of Heroes. I'm not aware of their progress to date, but I would be unsurprised if they too will not have their game ready for launch after a period of time measured in years.
Valiance Online is another game under development, in the superhero genre, and I am also unsure of their progress to date. I have read one or two things that make me think they may be ready before launch before the other two games-in-development, but I could well be wrong, and things happen to all of our best-laid plans anyway.
There is (what I understand to be) a rumor that Downix & Co went to NCSoft asking to purchase the City of Heroes IP, and that in the negotiations, NCSoft offered to also sell an image of City of Heroes as it was when it shut down. Such an image could supposedly be set up and run, but without the ability to make any changes whatsoever. This is because NCSoft is not selling the underlying code for the game. Speculation, wild and informed and a hybrid perhaps of both, has centered on the existence of proprietary code that NCSoft may have used in some of their other games, or that the underlying code may be entangled with players' financial data. It also seems very unlikely that characters and other player possessions will be available for sale, for likely the same reasons. It seems very unlikely, given such speculation, that the underlying code will ever be sold, but nothing is set in stone until the signatures dry on the purchase agreement.
I am using the word 'likely' (and its variant, 'unlikely') far too much.
At this point in my post, we see that there are four things happening: three games are under development by three different studios, and a fourth entity, acting on its own behalf (although if they are successful, no matter the degree of success, their efforts will benefit us all) is in negotiations with NCSoft.
That's not all! A fifth entity, currently known as Atlas Park Revival (hi, Irish_Girl!), is and has been for a very long time (early 2013? earlier?) working to recreate City of Heroes in Unreal Engine 4 (which Missing Worlds Media is also using for City of Titans). If I understand correctly, it was originally named the Atlas Park Revival because that's what they first intended to do: recreate Atlas Park in UE4. Also, to the best of my knowledge and at the present moment in time, there are a total of 2 people undertaking this monumental task, in their spare time and without pay.
I don't know if this next is a rumor, or an actual secret group, or something else entirely. All I do know is that some people have called them SCORE. What they're trying to do, if they actually exist, I have no real knowledge of. So I'll just leave this out there.
Downix & Co went into the negotiations with NCSoft hoping to outright purchase the City of Heroes IP, as far as I understand it. For the moment, let's leave all of the rest of what else might be being discussed to the side. Should NCSoft actually agree to sell that IP, a completely separate entity, as yet unnamed and with no details as to its makeup, would become the legal owners of that IP. Who would actually be employed by that company is unknown, but I believe it will not be any of the studios currently developing their own games, nor will it be Atlas Park Revival. This new company will outright own the IP, so NCSoft will not be able to dictate what is done with it. This would seemingly include the inability to shut any game down that is affiliated with the City of Heroes IP. Again, I point out that nothing is set in stone.
This COH IP-holding company would then be free to license said IP to whomever it wished, to be used in just about any manner imaginable. Games, clothing, toys, books, candy bars--as I said, anything. A significant benefit, and the one most likely to be used first, is that any game is free to ask for a license of the IP, to use it as much or as little as is agreed upon. The best example I've read is that, once they purchase such a license, any of the games that are intending to be a spiritual successor to City of Heroes can then legally advertise themselves as a just plain successor, no matter how much or how little of the IP they choose to use.
While no further real news has been forthcoming, other than the initial announcement on September 1st that, yes, negotiations are underway with NCSoft, I believe that Missing Worlds Media has already expressed their desire to license the City of Heroes IP, although it will likely (there's that word again!) not affect their lore or other aspects of their game to a great degree. I also have heard (second- or third-hand) that Valiance Online and Heroes and Villains have stated their intention of not licensing the IP. Understandably, such a license would be a minor matter anyway to any studio developing their own game, even if said studio was trying to look and feel much like City of Heroes.
It's been rumored, and it may well not be a rumor, that NCSoft is willing to sell the Issue 23 image of City of Heroes so that it may be stood up and we can play our beloved game just as we did those last few months. I think this undertaking is more and more being referred to as Legacy CoH. I don't know if this project would need to obtain a license from the holding company, or if NCSoft would have any kind of attachment to it. Even if NCSoft was still attached in some manner to this Legacy CoH, it would not in any way affect the IP holding company or any of the current game projects under development. In my opinion, and as I understand the nature of the image that's supposedly being offered, we would be able to play the game, just as it was. Except not.
THE FOLLOWING IS MY OPINION ONLY. Any programming experts or those actually in negotiations, PLEASE chime in and correct or clarify my next statements.
No access to the underlying code means those running Legacy COH would be UNABLE to make any changes whatsoever. It goes much farther than not being able to fix any bugs. No player account data (from the code) means nothing any of us had in-game will be there: no characters, no bases, no INF, no IOs, no Vet Rewards, nothing. Since the underlying code can't be accessed, there's no way to just give everybody everything (or anything). No access to financial data MAY mean no store; if so, costumes or powersets or other things available for purchase through that store MAY not be available at all, and we couldn't change that--no access to the code. Any special events (Halloween, Christmas, Rikti invasions, etc.) may not happen because even if it's just flipping a switch to turn it on, that switch is most probably located in the code that we won't have access to. I'd go on, but I think my point is made. Understand, I **WANT** to be wrong in this regard, but until someone with actual knowledge of the connections between image and code steps in to say otherwise, I don't think I am.
I'm not even sure programmers could work to fix the above things, even if they wanted to--again, no access to any code. I don't think new code could just be attached to the image, as the image is not code. Imagine a music CD you've purchased, or a CD that's not rewriteable and that you've already filled. Even if half of your music or data is garbled in some manner, you can't fix it. Return it to the store or start over from scratch--those are your options. And I really, REALLY want to be wrong here. I have some small knowledge of computers and programming, nothing that would rise to the level of employment, but enough to make me feel discouraged in this manner.
But enough. I was trying to stick to facts as I understood them, so let's finish up this massive tome.
If a City of Heroes IP-holding company is formed after NCSoft sells the IP outright, I think the Atlas Park Revival intends to license the IP. Further, I think Missing Worlds Media may loan some of their underlying code in Unreal Engine 4 to the APR folks. I think the Atlas Park Revival folks, who are currently trying to recreate Atlas Park in UE4, will then move towards recreating (with some improvements here and there) all of City of Heroes. This undertaking has come to be commonly known as City of Heroes 1.5. The APR folks will NOT be running Legacy CoH. Just like the CoH IP-holding company, Legacy CoH will be an entirely new company. When (not if; being optimistic here) CoH 1.5 is launched, THEN the APR folks (or whatever they'll be calling themselves by then) will start working on new content/issues/updates for CoH 1.5.
CoH 1.5 has sometimes been referred to as CoH 2, but it really won't be. It'll be a continuation of the old game, with improvements and new content. There is probably never going to be a game that outright calls itself City of Heroes 2.
So, to sum up:
Downix and a party of unknowns are negotiating with NCSoft to purchase the COH IP (and possibly more).
Downix IS part of Missing Worlds Media, but MWM is NOT in negotiations with NCSoft.
IF the CoH IP is sold, it will be owned by a new, yet-to-be-formed company, unaffiliated with NCSoft in any way, which can choose to license the IP to whomever they wish.
MWM is developing City of Titans, and will likely license the CoH IP, but not change their game significantly.
Valiance Online is developing their game, but will likely not license the CoH IP.
Heroes and Villains is developing their game, but will likely not license the CoH IP.
Atlas Park Revival is currently working to reproduce Atlas Park in Unreal Engine 4.
If the image of Issue 23 is also sold, yet another company will be formed to get it up and running. This may be known as Legacy CoH.
Not having access to the underlying code for the Issue 23 image MAY cause significant problems with SOME aspects of the game.
Atlas Park Revival will also license the CoH IP and keep working to reproduce City of Heroes in UE4.
Once APR has done that, they will begin work on new content for their game, currently labeled City of Heroes 1.5.
If absolutely everything goes as planned/desired, the City of Heroes IP will be free of NCSoft involvement, we will be able to play the game as it was before it shut down, and there will be FOUR studios that can be considered as continuations of the City of Heroes dream working to bring us the future.
Not too shabby.
I apologize for the monster post. I do believe I got most of the facts straight, and I hope I clearly labeled my opinion, where applicable, as just that. I'll say it again: those in the know or with actual programming or game-construction experience, PLEASE step in and put things right where I may have put them wrong.
