Author Topic: MMORPG - COH profitability  (Read 88278 times)

Rae

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MMORPG - COH profitability
« on: January 04, 2013, 03:50:41 PM »
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Starsman

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2013, 04:05:30 PM »
Beat me to it  :P
For the sake of the community: please stop the cultural "research" in your attempt to put blame on the game's cancelation.

It's sickening to see the community sink that low. It's worse to see the community does not get it.

I'm signing off and taking a break, blindly hope things change.

The Fifth Horseman

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2013, 04:10:12 PM »
NCSoft seems to have strange understanding of profitability.
We were heroes. We were villains. At the end of the world we all fought as one. It's what we did that defines us.
The end occurred pretty much as we predicted: all servers redlining until midnight... and then no servers to go around.

Somewhere beyond time and space, if you look hard you might find a flash of silver trailing crimson: a lone lost Spartan on his way home.

Starsman

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2013, 04:11:48 PM »
For the sake of the community: please stop the cultural "research" in your attempt to put blame on the game's cancelation.

It's sickening to see the community sink that low. It's worse to see the community does not get it.

I'm signing off and taking a break, blindly hope things change.

Quinch

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2013, 04:22:27 PM »

The Fifth Horseman

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2013, 04:31:45 PM »
Moreover: NCSoft demanded for the IP as much as the game would bring in if it turned in the same amount of profit for the following decade. Or two. :p
That in itself is proof enough that they were not willing to sell, just pretending they were open to offers.
We were heroes. We were villains. At the end of the world we all fought as one. It's what we did that defines us.
The end occurred pretty much as we predicted: all servers redlining until midnight... and then no servers to go around.

Somewhere beyond time and space, if you look hard you might find a flash of silver trailing crimson: a lone lost Spartan on his way home.

WildFire15

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2013, 04:33:24 PM »
Seems to me like NCsoft really don't know how to handle this situation. Considering we've always shown our proof, it's ridiculous for them to say 'Oh, it wasn't profitable' without showing some proof of their own, not to mention the fact that there was plenty of things they could do to reduce costs if the studio really was having trouble.

Also, the fact Paragon wanted to 'buy themselves' and NCsoft's claims that they 'couldn't find a suitable buyer' shows how trust worthy they are

HarvesterOfEyes

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2013, 04:46:47 PM »
NCSoft = liars with no honor.

If the money really was their motivation practically everything they've done would have been done differently unless <insert tinfoil-hat theory here>.

More likely someone with the financial means to sustain a bad business-decision made one and now would rather screw everyone involved in and with CoH than admit an error. That person is a sociopath.


Ironwolf

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #8 on: January 04, 2013, 04:50:59 PM »
More lies from NCSoft. Now suddenly they say they were losing money at Paragon!

Prove it.

If it was unprofitable you would:

1. Cut staff not pertaining to CoH directly
2. Slow development
3. take steps to drop costs

You then take the money and run after a couple years as the game swirls down. You don't shut down a studio running an active game and developing 2 more. This is the stupidest thing these people have said in a long line of stupid.

Quinch

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #9 on: January 04, 2013, 05:01:37 PM »
Personally, I'm glad they went out with those arguments.

We've been debunking them for the past four months.

Lucretia MacEvil

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #10 on: January 04, 2013, 05:09:26 PM »
This is the stupidest thing these people have said in a long line of stupid.

Agreed. 

I wonder if NCsoft managers actually talk to each other?

Lily Barclay

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2013, 05:10:39 PM »
Its like NC Soft wants their stock to keep tanking.

WildFire15

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2013, 05:11:54 PM »
Its like NC Soft wants their stock to keep tanking.

It likely won't move if this news remains in the west. I think maybe Mercedes needs to get back in contact with her Korean journalist friend and see what he thinks

Quinch

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2013, 05:12:14 PM »
Personally, I'm quietly begging the universe this story gets picked up by other outlets as well.

Greg Lloyd

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2013, 05:14:33 PM »
"The Heroes and Villains have taken to the skies of City of Heroes for the last time, but the game and community will remain in our memories. "

NCSoft, I look forward to the day that you are nothing but a memory.
G

Starsman

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #15 on: January 04, 2013, 05:15:42 PM »
For the sake of the community: please stop the cultural "research" in your attempt to put blame on the game's cancelation.

It's sickening to see the community sink that low. It's worse to see the community does not get it.

I'm signing off and taking a break, blindly hope things change.

Lily Barclay

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #16 on: January 04, 2013, 05:16:01 PM »
Personally, I'm quietly begging the universe this story gets picked up by other outlets as well.

Same. Bet it will. At least by massively. Guessing this has already been forwarded to Joe? I'm glad that NCSoft is helping our cause by keeping us in the news.

Starsman

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #17 on: January 04, 2013, 05:16:51 PM »
"The Heroes and Villains have taken to the skies of City of Heroes for the last time, but the game and community will remain in our memories. "

Of course we will remain in their memories, the backlash was to hard for them to ever forget entirely.
For the sake of the community: please stop the cultural "research" in your attempt to put blame on the game's cancelation.

It's sickening to see the community sink that low. It's worse to see the community does not get it.

I'm signing off and taking a break, blindly hope things change.

Lily Barclay

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #18 on: January 04, 2013, 05:20:44 PM »
Another thought... If the title wasn't performing well, why would the studio attempt to buy itself? They would throw in the towel and be glad they got severance.

TonyV

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Re: MMORPG - COH profitability
« Reply #19 on: January 04, 2013, 05:23:51 PM »
Sounds like a clear case of he said/she said, which is what I've believed all along.  You really have to ask yourself, who do you believe?  A Paragon insider, or NCsoft?  I know that most people here will instantly go to the knee-jerk reaction of, "the Paragon Insider, of course!"  But to be completely fair, you have to acknowledge that both have an agenda: the Paragon insider has recently lost their job thanks to NCsoft, and NCsoft is currently in the midst of trying to staunch a negative publicity campaign against them, striking at the heart of the matter.

The reason I bring that up is because I don't want anyone to think that I'm overly naive or gullible, willing to believe anything that anyone tells me.  I'm well aware of the various politics at play here, and I've spent MANY long nights thinking VERY hard about the possibility that I'm being duped.

And in the end, based on the best information I have, I've decided that I believe the people I know at Paragon Studios over NCsoft.  I've met them personally, they don't have as much at stake by simply staying silent (and indeed, some of them have put their reputations and quite possibly financial well-being at stake by coming forward, even as an anonymous source), I've heard very similar accounts from multiple people, they've historically proven to be honest and reliable, and not to put too fine a point on it, their version of events makes more sense to me than a publisher completely shutting down a studio like it did instead of making cuts and layoffs that could have restored it to profitability.