Wall'o text incoming!!!! Fair warning!!!!!
I have many hopes and fears for everything involved from the return of COX to the successor projects alike. And like Agge said,this is the place for them .You may not share in the same feelings,but it doesn't make them less valid. Or mean that I'm the only one who feels this way.
I'll preface this by saying I still to this day use Icon to dream up characters. I have a folder of saved costumes and documents with lists of heroes , villains and fully fleshed out stories and bio's enough so to probably be able to write my own book or comic series .
As hard as I tried to get into CO, DCUO and MUO. I just couldn't . There was only one hero game in my book.
I've also owned 3 versions of COX . An older release of CoH. Good vs Evil Combined Edition. And CoH Going Rogue Complete Collection Edition.
The return of CoH
NCsoft and their involvement in the return of CoX or (getting their hands on)any successor project through licensing rather than just sell the IP is probably the scariest thing for me. I think it would be best if the successor projects steer clear of any involvement of NCsoft for their own best interest.
Why? History!!! When I think of NCsoft I cant help but think of all the shady nonsense, poor and underhanded business practices of the past. Once they have any right to it, they can decide to pull the plug then sue if you continue to work on it as your own company or go after you like they did to Bluehole Studios.
When the NCsoft white knights keep coming to the forum saying " lets not talk bad about NCsoft so we don't anger them and cause them to walk away" You know you have reason for concern!!!! They have proven to be spiteful and rash for no sensible reason.
Ironwolf (not trying to pick on ya Wolf,,these things just poke me in the side,,I usually do enjoy your posts) posted in this thread," This exact attitude is what ended the first deal, that people injected negative attitudes instead of positive and thankful ones"
When at the time all that was supposedly needed was just one signature. You call this respectable business?
And "The game does not belong to you. NCSoft does not have to sell it or even talk to us - but because we have remained respectful and have not sent 10,000 letters and masks - but stayed above the fray and let the deal work - they are slowly concluding it. At NCSoft speed. "
So you're above us regular folks who believe in voicing their opinion , making a stand or send a massage and that's why the first deal fell through? Please!!! Walk on all the eggshells you want.
Thankful? For pulling the plug on a game the was doing well in NA even by Matt Millers own words?
And again back to NCsoft Shady moves. They have a lawsuit thats still ongoing against Bluehole Studios to stop them from releasing Tera because they knew it was going to be a threat. Things are still being hashed out and parts of the suit were tossed out . The only thing that stuck was the criminal case against 4 former devs who "stole" code. Nobody can even prove that any of that code was used in Tera which is why that part of the case was tossed by Korean courts.
In a case filled against En Masse and BHstudios in the US,along with the same issues that were tossed out in the Korean courts claim is that Tera will cause NCsoft a loss of revenue in the region and compete directly against them with the aid of former employee's with inside information and tech in NA and will see significant loss as a result. Even tho the only real success they had in the US was COH. And their the ones who pulled the plug causing the loss there.
http://tsi.brooklaw.edu/sites/tsi.brooklaw.edu/files/filings/ncsoft-corporation-et-al-v-bluehole-studio-inc-et-al/20120109ncsoft-corporation-et-al-v-bluehole-studio-inc-et-alcomplaint.pdf So is it possible they pulled the plug on the game November 30th 2012 so they could go into a court with a graph chart pointing out loss of revenue in NA that closely coincides with the release of Tera in May 1st 2012 ,just so they can win in court?
Well,,you'd say no ,they wouldn't be dumb or crazy enough to do that. Yet this is the same company that forged a letter of resignation of former lead developer Richard Garriott .
The same company that was "one signature away" from selling COH in a first deal but walked away because of "This exact attitude is what ended the first deal, that people injected negative attitudes instead of positive and thankful ones".
A company that would shut down and sit on Tabula Rasa rather than sell it to Richard Garriott when he offered to buy it.
What company would sit on an IP rather than sell it off to make money back off of it?
Is it possible they would string a bunch a fans along trying to make something of the IP and return of the game? Sure ,why not? More so if they were so hurt by comments posted online to walk away from one early deal why wouldn't they make someone jumps through hoops for something they know they will never give them. Or secondly why not let the stupid American fans do all the labor and work while they sit back and make money from it without putting up a cent?
They make rash decisions it seems and ones that make zero business sense.
Put trust and faith in them? Fool me once,shame on you,fool me twice,,well.
Now I know there's a group of people involved from both here at Titan as well as from some of the other successor projects who I'm sure have better details than the rest of us at this point. But we all wonder the same things.
Now...... what if the game returns? We hear it will be issue 23. With all data gone. So... if I want to play and start a character in Praetoria I have to buy Going Rogue? Again? Or could I just enter my original retail code somewhere to get my unlocks for all my Going Rogue Complete Edition costumes ,powers and Praetorian access? As well as my Good vs Evil unlocks? What about things I actually paid for in the shop or earned unlocks? Fork over money a second time to get those again?
I really hope these things are being considered because if it means handing NCsoft money for things I've already paid for a second time,well... I think some people may be in for a rude awakening. Both on the gamer and company side of things. Not to mention people could fork over money for these things a second time just to see NCsoft decide their not pulling in money fast enough and have another company realignment and pull the plug again.
Had a lot more to touch on like successors and community but this is already long enough and my Emp/Psi can already foresee the groans of "sorry TLDR" .