Starburst Magazine - Boycotts NCsoft

[Twisted Toon]

"Realignment of company focus and publishing support" is just a fancy way of saying "we decided to terminate it", nothing more.

Right. However, they cited low subscriber numbers and income as the reasons for closing the other games. Not a single mention of that for CoH.

There is a miniscule possibility that they wanted to change up the tired old "we're closing your game because it's not making us dump-trucks full of cash". I seriously doubt it though.

[Ironwolf]

Here is the thing - if that were true I would not have complained - it would have been a sad sigh and understanding of shooting old Yeller.

Sometimes a man has to shoot his dog if it gets too old or sick, but whoever had this idea was obviously on strong medication.

[Aggelakis]

http://www.starburstmagazine.com/gaming-news/3867-gaming-news-city-of-heroes-update

This article calls our home Liberty City. Wrong game (Grand Theft Auto).

While I understand sometimes making mistakes, that means every single article they've written about us has had errors in it. :/

[Knightslayer]

Here is the thing - if that were true I would not have complained - it would have been a sad sigh and understanding of shooting old Yeller.

Sometimes a man has to shoot his dog if it gets too old or sick, but whoever had this idea was obviously on strong medication.

Same here, Ironwolf - it's something I've mentioned several times to my friends, I fully understand that NCSoft is a business, and at the end of the day it all comes down to profit for them.
I'd have been unhappy about it, but when it can't be helped, it can't be helped.

[Knightslayer]

http://www.starburstmagazine.com/gaming-news/3867-gaming-news-city-of-heroes-update

This article calls our home Liberty City. Wrong game (Grand Theft Auto).

While I understand sometimes making mistakes, that means every single article they've written about us has had errors in it. :/

My guess is that they either haven't played it, or it was a while ago and things got blurred - hopefully someone will be able to contact them about correcting the mistake.
It's still a nice gesture of them though.

[The Fifth Horseman]

Or their editor "corrected" the article before it was published.

[Luna Eclypse]

After having to start a 4 AM shift and getting pulled over for speeding on the way, I came home after work to read this and it immediately made my day better.

Granted, I'm now enjoying a blossoming new hero career on Champions Online, I will never forget my roots and I make sure the veterans of that game know who they're getting and dealing with. I can't just imagine the last 7 years never happened, but I can't bring myself to look at the game anymore from all this BS that has it breathing it's last breath.

The most I can muster is to social network and spread links around like this article. My gratitude goes out to the editor and staff at Starburst Magazine. Thank you for standing with us in our hour of need.

[Jordan_Lee]

I don't subscribe to any gamer mags myself, but have we been able to get any other magazines/websites to post articles (hopefully feature articles with BIG lettering) about the attempt to save, and the recommendation to voice dissatisfaction or distrust with NCSoft? Having this one out is exciting, I hope more will pick up and decide to publish something like it as well to get the word out to more people.

[Aggelakis]

A couple.

http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,4908.0.html

[johnrobey]

Attempt two to post my link to a solid article other than Starburst's espousing a boycott. Now it's been started by someone with weight, let's get behind the movement and keep it going. And make sure boycotting is all over the net, so anyone looking in NCSoft gets some seriously bad vibes.

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9114174

Thank you for posting this link, White Rager.  I'd have missed seeing that article otherwise.

[johnrobey]

Hi Everyone,

Just to let you all know that Starburst Magazine (World's longest running sci-fi, horror, magazine) has just announced a boycott of NCsoft and all their products until the date that this is dealt with in a manner that is respectful towards all of the players of City Of Heroes.

The Editor of the mag had been a player for years, and felt a vested interest in this fight. We have tweeted the details to our 280,000 followers and will continue to inform them of unfolding events. We are also including an article on this whole debacle in our next issue (384) - which has just gone off to print.

Everyone at Starburst is incredibly impressed with the Save COH campaign. It is remarkable how well you have managed to rally the troops. We are behind you 100%

If there is anything else we can do to help, please let us know.

Starburst Magazine

http://www.starburstmagazine.com/editorial/3869-boycott-ncsoft
asdfasdf

Thank you, Mr. Jordan Royce and thank you, Starburst Magazine.

While others noted previously that the MMORPGs killed by NCSoft lacked player numbers hence revenue all were at least technically "under development."  Ok.  Now, did any of these other "sunsetted" MMORPGs have cash markets selling new items less than 10 days prior to their sunset announcements?

While I might never be happy about the closing of City of Heroes, your article brings up ethics.  While NCSoft did refund the unused/unusable portion of my annual subscription, I bought my latest batch of paragon market points prior to the time period they're refunding (though only by a few weeks.)   How ethical is it to sell upgrades and add-ons to a product that will literally not exist in a short while?  Sure.  I get to play with my paid for "toys" for 3 months, courtesy of NCSoft, at a time when 90+% of the players I regularly teamed up with no longer play due directly to the sunset notice?

Legal?  I presume it must be.  Ethical?  How can NCSoft NOT understand what our customer feelings are at this treatment (other than willfully not wanting to understand its customers)?

Digression: I truly do support the MMORPG players Customer Bill of Rights movement.  Myself, I'd be satisfied if these products were usable for six months to one year.  Every time I paid extra money for a booster pack, I considered it an investment in my enjoyment of CoH for the life of the game and/or my interest in CoH.  Selling me something for a soon to be nonexistent product seems a scam.  (Real nitpicky vent digression: buying an account-wide Team Transporter power is nifty when part of an active group but less useful when the publisher's actions drives away one's sgmates - yeah I get to use it solo or as part of a Pick Up Group.  Ditto for the extra enhancement trays that would have made respec'ing characters much easier.  Sure, my toons can carry more enhancements, but I see little reason to respec any of them seeing as they're going to limbo soon.)

[Graphite]

Thank you so much for your support!  This means alot to us regular folks still in the trenches as we keep fighting the good fight.

/em salute