Hey all, I'm not trying to shut down conversation, but we're a long way away from having to deal with any issues around how much to charge for what tiers of subscription fees or various items. That's probably something that would be better discussed in one of the
City Sunset forums.
As for the suggestion to give up, roll over, and accept our inevitable fate, I don't find that very useful or productive. We already have "that guy" who's been telling us that since August 31; his name is NCsoft. And with all due respect, I don't need lectures about how I should be nicer or more respectful towards Koreans. First of all, it's a bit insulting to Koreans to simplify all of the issues down to "they just want to save face, that's all that matters." Second of all, many of the Koreans who run NCsoft have lived extensively in the United States, are familiar with the Western world, and have been heavily influenced by Western ways of doing business.
Third of all, and arguably most relevant, if you read the history of my posts (including the top post in this very thread), you'll realize that I was very respectful and deferential of NCsoft for over four weeks, focusing exclusively on how selling the game would be a win-win-win solution for us, Paragon Studios, and especially NCsoft. This isn't a Korean thing; it's just smart business sense. However, it's also smart business sense that when one avenue is shut off to acquiring what you want, you don't just accept your inevitable fate; you figure out other avenues to get it.
Believe me, I would like nothing more than to stay happy and positive going forward. But
we tried that. It didn't work. So we're trying something else.
And one thing that I think is being lost here is that we are being treated with an incredible amount of disrespect by NCsoft. First, they decide to shut down our game which was doing pretty well and lay off 80+ people that some of us had a bond with that was more than just people who make products we enjoy. Next, they engage in negotiations in which I personally believe they acted in bad faith, turning down offers that were more than reasonable, prioritizing their own inaction and possibly unfounded fear over making profit and helping to save a community, even though their
very own Mission Statement is: "The ultimate mission of NCSOFT is to make each and every one on earth happier. That is, to make people's lives more enjoyable." They also say, "Our organization is built on trust and tight enough that there is no communication barrier." And my favorite: "Do not hesitate doing what is right. Be brave at carrying out what we believe is right into practice." To be blunt, at this point I feel that
we are living up to NCsoft's visions and goals better than they are.
So please, no more lectures on how I need to be deferential to the poor Koreans who just want to save face until the game shuts down November 30. We tried, and we're past that now. At this point,
they are insulting
us with this "exhausting all possibilities" talk, and if we simply sit by and say, "Thank you for your disingenuous response!", there's no way we can expect--or deserve--to be taken seriously. At this point, they really
do need to be thinking about how to save face, and it's their own durn fault. I'll be happy to work with them to that end, but as long as there's this communication barrier that their vision statement says doesn't exist, I can't help too much.
I'm still not encouraging us to go scorched earth on NCsoft, but I've been warning them all along that if they choose the path they've apparently chosen, it will cost them in negative public relations. Not out of spite, but because I do not believe that they are acting as an honorable company in dealing with this issue, and bad public relations is the consequence of acting in such a manner. I still hold out hope that they will realize their mistake--which again, isn't disassociating themselves from City of Heroes, but in being so closed-minded about selling it so that the community can continue on. I was hoping that our positive message would accomplish that, but it didn't, so they have chosen the route of criticism instead. That wasn't our choice, but it's the only one they've given us.
