Great article about our efforts at Levelcapped

[Juncyard]

http://www.levelcapped.com/2012/09/06/be-the-hero-save-city-of-heroes/

Like a bolt out of the blue, a deadly meteor streaking towards Earth, or a monster from another dimension that appears suddenly in down town New York City, the announcement that Paragon Studios, operators of City of Heroes, was closing was unexpected. Among those who had played or currently play the game, it was also devastating.

As comics and super hero movies have taught us over the years, heroes are heroes for a reason: they never give up, and never back down. They take up the burdens of those who cannot, and see things through to the end.

It's no surprise that there's a movement to save CoH. MMOs aren't like other games. While they have ongoing operating expenses which puts them at the mercy of financial hatchet-men, they're also vehicles for the memories of thousands of players. It doesn't matter if you haven't played CoH in the past year, or two, or three. If you've played it at all, then there's a good chance you'll have memories of time spent and friends made, and there might even be a chance that you've been meaning to revisit those places of memory now that it's free to play. We've become so used to our MMO characters being locked up in stasis for our eventual return. But if CoH shuts down, there won't be anything to return to.

Although I am one of those who haven't played CoH in a while, I want this game to continue. CoH is one of those games that my friends and I played a lot of back in the day, which is especially meaningful to me because one of my friends that I played with was killed in a car accident two years ago. He loved CoH, and spent many hours creating a fantastic adventure for our group using the Architect system. I had always counted on that adventure being there for when we were ready to revisit it, but that may no longer be an option.

Internet activism is hit or miss, but if we abdicate our chance to make a stand, we know exactly what the outcome will be. So how can we get involved in saving the game? Pete from Dragonchasers has laid it out perfectly, so thanks to him for this summation:



1) Sign the Keep NCsoft from shutting down City of Heroes! petition

2) Write a letter to NCSoft. Please follow the guidelines in this forum thread. Quick recap – Be polite and respectful, hand-write the letter, and keep it short. More info at that link.
Here're the addresses you need:

Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA 98101
UNITED STATES

In Korea:

Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
157-37 Samsung-dong
Kangnamu-gu, Seoul 135-090
KOREA

3) Attend the in-game "Unity Rally" on September 8th. This is happening on the Virtue server. Dress as your favorite Paragon employee! Again, details on the other end of that link.

Have more questions? There's a "Save City of Heroes FAQ" that should help.

 

I had someone tell me that decisions like this were made as a result of "cold, hard business facts". I think we're all well aware of that, but I urge NCSoft to consider that MMOs are more than just faceless services. This is a game loved by many. It's one of the oldest operational MMOs out there. It's given a lot of joy to a lot of people, and these people are your customers. They supported you when they could have been playing other games, and as comic books have proven, there is absolutely no end to the possibility for stories and expansions that could keep the game as fresh and exciting in the future as it was in the past.



"

Press Release
Gamers Rally to Save City of Heroes

What happens when a virtual world is condemned to oblivion?  Dedicated players of the online game City of Heroes struggle for the very survival of their city.

Mountain View CA, September 6, 2012:  The online heroes of Paragon City are currently in an epic battle.  Not against the forces of crime and evil that they have been facing for eight years, but against the decision of a company that is preparing to turn off the game servers and end a game that has been running since April 2004.

NCsoft, the publisher of City of Heroes, announced last Friday that it is shutting down Paragon Studios, the game development studio responsible for City of Heroes.  Operation of the flagship will cease by November 30 due to a realignment of NCsoft's focus.

To its community, City of Heroes is more than just a game, it is a vibrant, welcoming community.  City of Heroes was the first online role-playing game for many gamers, and introduced them to the wonders of flying through the skies and battling epic menaces with friends.  City of Heroes has brought together families, offered comfort during troubling times, and inspired charities that have raised nearly $30,000 for children, members of the armed forces, and to fight hunger.

The City of Heroes community quickly rallied and formed a campaign to save the game from virtual extinction.  "We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years.  It's time to do it one more time," said Tony Vasquez administrator of the Titan Network, an alliance of City of Heroes fan sites (http://paragonwiki.com), and one of the organizers of the Save Paragon City! campaign.

Through social media outlets, fan web sites, and the City of Heroes official game forums, players have been organizing projects and events to convince NCsoft to allow the game to continue, exploring options including selling the game to another game publishing company or development studio.   The "Keep NCsoft from shutting down City of Heroes!" petition initiated by a community member has gathered over 12,600 signatures and continues to grow.  (http://change.org/petitions/ncsoft-keep-ncsoft-from-shutting-down-city-of-heroes) In addition, players have begun a letter writing campaign to NCsoft to demonstrate the reach of their numbers and convey the impact City of Heroes has had on their lives.

City of Heroes players have a non-stop schedule of activities to show their support.  Saturday, September 8th, players are organizing an in-game "Unity Rally" and Paragon Appreciation costume contest in which players will dress up as their favorite Paragon Studios staff member (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=296768). This event will take place on the Virtue server starting at 5:00pm EDT.  Organizers expect that this could be the biggest costume contest in online gaming history.  Other ongoing projects beginning this week include a crowd funding drive in which the community has pledged to financially assist acquiring the game from NCsoft and partnership discussions with industry leaders regarding acquisition of the City of Heroes game property.