Did anyone else see this article?

[Profit]

My search fu has been weak this morning, apologies if this has been posted already.

http://mecha-eng.com/308/

Paragon Studios Shutdown

Posted by Mecha  at September 16th, 2012
INDEPENDENT MARKET REVIEW
NCSoft and Paragon Studios Shutdown

September 15, 2012

www.mecha-eng.com
Disclaimer

The following is a cursory, independent, white paper review, based on publicly available information, on the potential ramifications of the NCSoft execution of the closure of Paragon Studios. The review is intended for public distribution to all interested parties.  The report is highly speculative, and cannot attribute all factors. As such, it should not be used to make significant decisions on its own.
Summary

NCSoft continues to be a major player in the gaming market, especially in the Eastern Markets, showing the equivalent of $146,000,000 in Q2 sales alone.

The Western market is a minor one for NCSoft (less than 6%). Its handling of the shutdown of the City of Heroes (COH) franchise, operated by Paragon Studios, has given the impression of poor judgment in dealing with that market.  Its actions have resulted in a series of events creating negative press that has had a disproportionately large effect on NCSoft interests, which could have been mitigated or avoided.

These actions have likely weakened NCSoft's standing in the Western market, for the short term, and will likely hamper its ability to introduce and maintain titles in this secondary market in the short to mid term.  Further, NCSoft has taken no public action to mitigate the situation, while consumer reaction has taken a strong foothold in industry related and general news media, effectively unchecked.

All of these factors combine to give the impression of either a lack of direction in the Western market, or a lack of commitment to the same, indicating proactive measures by competing firms could be especially well timed.

[Teege]

http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,5174.0.html