New efforts!

[Ankhammon]

From a marketing perspective you want to do the opposite.  You want to get your message out as soon as possible and repeat it as often as possible.  That way your message will reach the most people and better odds of people remembering it.  If people just announce the deal right before they are going live they shouldn't expect many players.  Every business knows that if you announce the grand opening just before, it will be a lousy grand opening.

I see your point. However I was speaking purely from an NCSoft perspective. They would be selling the property and want to make sure that any reinstitution of the game went well for their PR. If the game went under again I don't know if they would care since (hypothetically) it would be after a successful transition. They would be concerned with their reputation and this case would be a little dicey if they sold an image that never made it to market.

It would be the new company that would want to get the word out asap.

[Ironwolf]

Once the sale is made - then you have several things yet to do:

Website - might be able to use the old one, since it still does exist.
Launcher - have to make one.
Market - needs to be rebuilt - not sure how much work that would take.
Community outreach - you need mods and GM's for in game support.
Devs - you need at least one or two people to fix the bugs that will pop up in your solution to the launcher and market.

[Remaugen]

Don't forget the carnies and malta... maybe CoT?

Sooooo many wonderful possibilities! And not just for MM Pets, but for V/EATs as well. . .

[Surelle]

Once the sale is made - then you have several things yet to do:

Website - might be able to use the old one, since it still does exist.
Launcher - have to make one.
Market - needs to be rebuilt - not sure how much work that would take.
Community outreach - you need mods and GM's for in game support.
Devs - you need at least one or two people to fix the bugs that will pop up in your solution to the launcher and market.

I'd be very careful on their end not over hiring, resulting in an amount of paychecks that cannot be sustained over the long haul.  I don't see many GMs/ Customer Service type people in the cards.  And conversely, they shouldn't take on too much with too few people, because those few will get way too overloaded and quit.  While this all sounds contradictory, what they're really going to have to do is present zombie i23 as exactly what it is:  No GMs, no modifications, no patches, no changes.  They're going to be hard pressed to get enough money to sustain the servers alone and pay NCSoft whatever they're asking in royalties or however you put it in game lingo. 

Throwing imaginary, unsustainable numbers out there that will supposedly represent subscription-paying customers will be easy for the back seat drivers.  It's those who have to try and make do with what they really get out of it that will have to deal with reality.  And the last thing we need is CoX closing down yet again.  Even a good percentage of those 50 people or so actually posting on these boards (which are, let's face it, the home of the hardcore CoX fans), have openly stated that they will only come back to CoX if it's F2P.

[Ironwolf]

I'd be very careful on their end not over hiring, resulting in an amount of paychecks that cannot be sustained over the long haul.  I don't see many GMs/ Customer Service type people in the cards.  And conversely, they shouldn't take on too much with too few people, because those few will get way too overloaded and quit.  While this all sounds contradictory, what they're really going to have to do is present zombie i23 as exactly what it is:  No GMs, no modifications, no patches, no changes.  They're going to be hard pressed to get enough money to sustain the servers alone and pay NCSoft whatever they're asking in royalties or however you put it in game lingo. 

Throwing imaginary, unsustainable numbers out there that will supposedly represent subscription-paying customers will be easy for the back seat drivers.  It's those who have to try and make do with what they really get out of it that will have to deal with reality.  And the last thing we need is CoX closing down yet again.  Even a good percentage of those 50 people or so actually posting on these boards (which are, let's face it, the home of the hardcore CoX fans), have openly stated that they will only come back to CoX if it's F2P.

We don't know who is getting it yet! They will need to have some form of a market or else it will be tough to make any cash from it.

[Ohioknight]

I had my first "City of Heroes is back" dream this morning... hoping it's a good omen.

[rebel 1812]

I see your point. However I was speaking purely from an NCSoft perspective. They would be selling the property and want to make sure that any reinstitution of the game went well for their PR. If the game went under again I don't know if they would care since (hypothetically) it would be after a successful transition. They would be concerned with their reputation and this case would be a little dicey if they sold an image that never made it to market.

It would be the new company that would want to get the word out asap.

Yes I understand your perspective and it might be the true thoughts of Ncsoft.  I was trying to point out that Ncsoft or any business that isn't focused on customers is not a strong business model.  Now plenty of businesses do succeed without a good business model or making good decisions; just as some people get good jobs without any skills or merit.  As I said in another thread since nepotism reigns in korea; that might be what happens.  However the business and customers are worse off for it.

[duane]

I had my first "City of Heroes is back" dream this morning... hoping it's a good omen.

Lol, it happens often.  I think of my parents , an old coffee shop, my friend Jim and many other things in life that are gone and cannot come back.  It's just not possible.

City of Heroes coming back plucks those emotional chords and makes me believe those things too might still be out there.

[Sinistar]

We don't know who is getting it yet! They will need to have some form of a market or else it will be tough to make any cash from it.

Imagine if it were Apple or Microsoft that becomes the new owners.......

[Sinistar]

Lol, it happens often.  I think of my parents , an old coffee shop, my friend Jim and many other things in life that are gone and cannot come back.  It's just not possible.

City of Heroes coming back plucks those emotional chords and makes me believe those things too might still be out there.

I hear you on that,  too many things gone that can't return....unless I get a flux capacitor equipped Delorean or a magic Blue Police Box.

As to CoH, I long ago wrote a mini story about the shutdown and how one hero was able to reactivate things.

[duane]

I hear you on that,  too many things gone that can't return....unless I get a flux capacitor equipped Delorean or a magic Blue Police Box.

As to CoH, I long ago wrote a mini story about the shutdown and how one hero was able to reactivate things.

Yes, perhaps there are heroes.  Definitely villains.

[pinballdave]

I had my first "City of Heroes is back" dream this morning... hoping it's a good omen.

Some of my CoH dreams are really 'challenging'. Like, the one where I am trapped in a dimly basement with a platoon of vahzilok and my robots are having pathing problems when I want them to clear a path up the stairs to escape.

[blacksly]

Imagine if it were Apple or Microsoft that becomes the new owners.......

They would not have had to demonstrate their capabilities through so many hoops. Whoever is acquiring it is a lot smaller.

[Sinistar]

They would not have had to demonstrate their capabilities through so many hoops. Whoever is acquiring it is a lot smaller.

Well they may have had to do some demonstrating since this is a new type of sale deal for NCSoft, but I agree it is likely someone much smaller...

Still I suppose we should be glad that Disney is likely not involved.

[darkgob]

Imagine if it were Apple or Microsoft that becomes the new owners.......

So either overpriced and overstylized, or unreliable and gets "updates" way more often than are actually merited and actually do nothing but make the game worse?

;D

[Noyjitat]

Imagine if it were Apple or Microsoft that becomes the new owners.......

You have died, what do you want to do now?
1. Buy one life and goto the hospital 5$
2. Buy one life and goto your base 4$ - unavailable you haven't purchased a base ownership license for 5$
3. A player wishes to revive you pay 3$ to revive now - ( player loses revive friend token whether you accept or not. )
4. Create a new character and start over 1$
5. A player hands you an awaken, revive now - unavailable you haven't purchased a trading license for 50$
6. uninstall

[Paragon Avenger]

You have died, what do you want to do now?
1. Buy one life and goto the hospital 5$
2. Buy one life and goto your base 4$ - unavailable you haven't purchased a base ownership license for 5$
3. A player wishes to revive you pay 3$ to revive now - ( player loses revive friend token whether you accept or not. )
4. Create a new character and start over 1$
5. A player hands you an awaken, revive now - unavailable you haven't purchased a trading license for 50$
6. uninstall

This sounds like it belongs in the Completely Fake News thread.

[FloatingFatMan]

You have died, what do you want to do now?
1. Buy one life and goto the hospital 5$
2. Buy one life and goto your base 4$ - unavailable you haven't purchased a base ownership license for 5$
3. A player wishes to revive you pay 3$ to revive now - ( player loses revive friend token whether you accept or not. )
4. Create a new character and start over 1$
5. A player hands you an awaken, revive now - unavailable you haven't purchased a trading license for 50$
6. uninstall

That'd be more like if Perfect Worlds got their greasy mitts on it.

[Sinistar]

That'd be more like if Perfect Worlds got their greasy mitts on it.

Agreed. CO shall never darken my system again.

[Zerohour]

Christ. Still nothing?