A little inspiration...an improbable comeback has happened in recent years

[Harpospoke]

"Yes!  There are people out there as insane as they need to be to to do that!"

Just watched Time Zero:  The Last Year of Polaroid Film..    The parallels with CoH players and the Hail Mary effort are really evident.   These people would not give up...would not "move on".   Some were pragmatic about their chances, others were endlessly optimistic.   Their numbers were small, but the dedication of all involved and seeing the process of resurrection is very inspiring.

In the end...they won.   They achieved their goal to save instant photography which meant so much to them.   There were incredible hurdles to overcome and improbably odds.  (https://www.the-impossible-project.com/film/)



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2120160/

Should CoH return....it would make a good movie methinks.

[tripthicket]

Which gives me an idea for a new thread... (runs over to the City of Heroes forum)

[MaidMercury]

I think Polaroid went bankrupt and returned...Xerox was also on the ropes at one time.
Schlottsky's Sandwich firm went bankrupt 12 years ago, got bought up and returned.

Apple was on the ropes,too until Jobs revived them.

Others like Woolworths, a 100 yr old institution went under.

Sometimes they get bought out for their name and survive, like several candy bars companies,
MayTag, Compaq, Jaguar, etc..

[Number9]

Twinkies will never die ... or go bad.

[Harpospoke]

I think Polaroid went bankrupt and returned...Xerox was also on the ropes at one time.
Schlottsky's Sandwich firm went bankrupt 12 years ago, got bought up and returned.

Apple was on the ropes,too until Jobs revived them.

Others like Woolworths, a 100 yr old institution went under.

Sometimes they get bought out for their name and survive, like several candy bars companies,
MayTag, Compaq, Jaguar, etc..

I didn't know that one about Schlottsky's.

I find it all very inspiring.

[Harpospoke]

Twinkies will never die ... or go bad.

Oh yeah!   I forgot about that one too!

[Feign]

Twinkies will never die ... or go bad.

Boy that sure did have an entertaining effect on the whole "2012 apocalypse" crowd...  The food that everyone thought would last till doomsday, almost ended within a week of when the Mayans predicted doomsday.

All that said, I was inspired recently to go play another great little comeback story:  Myst Online.  Originally Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, it was published by Ubisoft, who neglected to ever mention it in advertising and summarily executed it after its second update. back in 2003.

in 2012, the fans were able to purchase the IP from Ubi and reconstruct the server software to the point that it is once again a viable game.  They recently put out their first expansion.  Playing a game that I thought I had let go of forever for the first time in a decade? The nostalgia is overwhelming I think I cried a little and got a bit dizzy.

I expect something like that will be the case with CoH, especially if I can get my fiancee into it with me (depending on how long it takes to release, we'll probably be newlyweds by then.)

[duane]

I think Polaroid went bankrupt and returned...Xerox was also on the ropes at one time.
Schlottsky's Sandwich firm went bankrupt 12 years ago, got bought up and returned.

Apple was on the ropes,too until Jobs revived them.

Others like Woolworths, a 100 yr old institution went under.

Sometimes they get bought out for their name and survive, like several candy bars companies,
MayTag, Compaq, Jaguar, etc..

Old adventure games from the 1990's are coming back.  Sierra On-Line is being revived with a 2015 King's Quest release.

[Scendera]

All that said, I was inspired recently to go play another great little comeback story:  Myst Online.  Originally Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, it was published by Ubisoft, who neglected to ever mention it in advertising and summarily executed it after its second update. back in 2003.

in 2012, the fans were able to purchase the IP from Ubi and reconstruct the server software to the point that it is once again a viable game.  They recently put out their first expansion.

Myst fans are NUTS. Absolutely hardcore. I just recently got interested in the mythos, even if not so much the game, and the dedicated fans astound me.

[JennSpace]

Squaresoft was almost over before Nobuo Uematsu composed the music for the first Final Fantasy games and saved them!

The same could be said about Marvel when they were clinically dead and John Semper saved them for a couple years by directing Spiderman : The Animated Serie, which stayed number 1 on Fox Kids until it was cancelled after season 5.

As long as there is hope, there is life, it's as simple as that!

[microc]

in real life ask anyone around here in boston.....red sox coming back and winning four straight.

[Jorge Firebomb]

To expand a little on the Final Fantasy subject, when the second Final Fantasy MMO launched, Final Fantasy XIV, it was so bad that people that played it claimed it could barely be called a game. It tarnished the Final Fantasy brand so badly that Square pulled the game and assigned the guy they had with the most passion about the Final Fantasy franchise to completely redo it. They announced they were going to do this on October 14, 2011, roughly 13 months after launch. They took the original version down November 11, 2012 and re-launched on August 27, 2013 as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The redone game was vastly improved and a huge success, and the guy in charge of the relaunch of FFXIV is now in charge of all things Final Fantasy at Square.

So MMOs can come back from the dead, and CoH has the advantage of not being a terrible mess beforehand.

[JennSpace]

To expand a little on the Final Fantasy subject, when the second Final Fantasy MMO launched, Final Fantasy XIV, it was so bad that people that played it claimed it could barely be called a game. It tarnished the Final Fantasy brand so badly that Square pulled the game and assigned the guy they had with the most passion about the Final Fantasy franchise to completely redo it. They announced they were going to do this on October 14, 2011, roughly 13 months after launch. They took the original version down November 11, 2012 and re-launched on August 27, 2013 as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The redone game was vastly improved and a huge success, and the guy in charge of the relaunch of FFXIV is now in charge of all things Final Fantasy at Square.

So MMOs can come back from the dead, and CoH has the advantage of not being a terrible mess beforehand.

I agree, most people I talked with of City of Heroes had only good things to say about it. Irl, I never encountered anyone talking s*** about out game, which is rare for a video game!

[Feign]

Myst fans are NUTS. Absolutely hardcore. I just recently got interested in the mythos, even if not so much the game, and the dedicated fans astound me.

In a way, Myst was kind of like steampunk before steampunk was even a thing.  There's people who play it, and people who make it a lifestyle.

Also, apparently, negotiations are underway for a Myst-based TV show.  There are no details whatsoever, but if Rand Miller writes it and it's based on the novels, I will be glued to it.  The Books of Myst series is up there with Lord of the Rings in my favorite reads.  I have no idea if there's nostalgia distortion in there, but I remember them being exceptional, and I did read a lot as a kid (my parents didn't really believe in television).

[JennSpace]

In a way, Myst was kind of like steampunk before steampunk was even a thing.  There's people who play it, and people who make it a lifestyle.

Also, apparently, negotiations are underway for a Myst-based TV show.  There are no details whatsoever, but if Rand Miller writes it and it's based on the novels, I will be glued to it.  The Books of Myst series is up there with Lord of the Rings in my favorite reads.  I have no idea if there's nostalgia distortion in there, but I remember them being exceptional, and I did read a lot as a kid (my parents didn't really believe in television).

I remember playing Myst as a little kid back in the mid-90's and not getting very far because I wasn't very good in puzzle-solving... I should try again and see if my 25 years old self can get farther! loll

[LaughingAlex]

I think of the game fallout, myself, when it comes to a comeback.  Fallout as a series was shut down at a point when the top-down rpg games(like baldurs gate) began to fade, then we saw the series comeback, and while Fallout 3 wasn't the best fallout game, Fallout new vegas certainly showed the series was kicking more and more alive.

Because the original fallouts were good games.  City of heroes was a great game, and it's a game that, far as I am concerned, can't be kept shut down forever.

[JennSpace]

I think of the game fallout, myself, when it comes to a comeback.  Fallout as a series was shut down at a point when the top-down rpg games(like baldurs gate) began to fade, then we saw the series comeback, and while Fallout 3 wasn't the best fallout game, Fallout new vegas certainly showed the series was kicking more and more alive.

Because the original fallouts were good games.  City of heroes was a great game, and it's a game that, far as I am concerned, can't be kept shut down forever.

Not only that, people are eating super heroes now! XD All the Marvel movies are exploding the box-office every single time a new one comes out in theaters so I don't see a better window of opportunity than now!

[Scendera]

In a way, Myst was kind of like steampunk before steampunk was even a thing.  There's people who play it, and people who make it a lifestyle.

Also, apparently, negotiations are underway for a Myst-based TV show.  There are no details whatsoever, but if Rand Miller writes it and it's based on the novels, I will be glued to it.  The Books of Myst series is up there with Lord of the Rings in my favorite reads.  I have no idea if there's nostalgia distortion in there, but I remember them being exceptional, and I did read a lot as a kid (my parents didn't really believe in television).

I read them for the first time about 3 months ago...yes, they really ARE that good, or at least the first 2. The third was still good, but not quite as exceptional.

[Tubbius]

Why does this remind me of some of LL Cool J's lyrics?  "Don't call it a comeback / I've been here for years. . . ."

[MM3squints]

I think Polaroid went bankrupt and returned...Xerox was also on the ropes at one time.
Schlottsky's Sandwich firm went bankrupt 12 years ago, got bought up and returned.

Apple was on the ropes,too until Jobs revived them.

Others like Woolworths, a 100 yr old institution went under.

Sometimes they get bought out for their name and survive, like several candy bars companies,
MayTag, Compaq, Jaguar, etc..

Not so much a bankrupt, but a similar beat all odds story that comes to mind is Best Buy. They had their death certificate made and all analyst said Best Buy would have been the next Circut City, but they made a strong turn around and are actually stong.