I have a friend who also played CoX before shutdown. He thinks NCSoft is one big bully. They've taken away a toy from a child in a playground. Now they're waving it in front of him, telling him to do things to get his toy back. But they never do give it back, until someone bigger comes around and forces them. They'll just play "keep away" until they're bored then they'll throw the toy up a tree where no-one can get to it. And right now, NCSoft has lots of people running around trying to jump through their hoops. When does it end? I'm starting to agree with him.
If NCSoft was really interested in the money, they would have sold it to Paragon Studios. The longer they wait, the less it's worth and thus the less likely they're going to sell it. Also, the longer they wait, the harder it will be to restore the game and/or find all the pieces. Like trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together.