Dilemma

[dplankey]

Greetings Titan members and felloe Heroes/Villians.  I am er was an eight year veteran of COH/COV and pretty much just as glum and angry as you folks.  Although I have to say I was not surprised at the shutdown of the game.  I have a close friend who was on the dev team for Tabula RAsa and he told me about an all hands meeting NC Soft had years ago where NC Soft bosses made it clear that the only games they were going to be supporting were Triple A titles.  I honestly think that the decision to close COH was made at least 6 months fater Going Rogue came out and failed to bring back the subscription numbers the coporate bosses wanted.  The free to play thing helped to delay the inevitable but once again it never did bring in the numbers.  If only...  I do miss the game very much and it royales cheeses my sandwhich thinking that right now the server with my toons that I put thousands of hours into have been wiiped

But now my dilemma.  I so appreciate the efforts that you all have undertaken to try and bring the game back by asking other studios to take a crack at prying it out of NCSoft cold clammy hands.  Although while I knew in my head that NCSoft was not going to change their mind, my heart did hold hope that it would come back.  But with everything that has happened I find myself asking is Do I want it to come back?  Now before you all show up here with torches and pitchforks let me explain my reasoning. 

The biggest thing is that for all intents and purposes Paragon Studios is gone.  Pretty much all the deveolpment team have moved on and are working all across the gaming-verse.  I seriously doubt they would jeopardize their careers by jumping ship after working at their respective new companies for a short period of time.  That means Disney or whoever would have to hire a whole new deveolpment team.  Peoplke who are going to be unfamiliar with the story and more importanly the future plans that Paragon studios had in mind.  There's no guarantee that they would even follow the same design path and just want to go off in their own direction which may not be a good thing.  I am really concerned with that.  I would rather have the game stay dead being the fantastic game it was then being live and turned into a peice of garbage where I couldnt wait to cancel my subscription. Again theres alway the chance that they would take a good direction as well, but who knows what the future holds.  I want to remember COH as it was not the potential disaster it could be if a new studio filled with people completely unfamiliar with the story and how future issues were planned especially with the the big fight on the horizon with Battalion. Maybe Im reading too much into it, but it is a fear that I have.

Another question I have is with all the attention that this shutdown has, I wonder now at NCSoft resolve in keeping the IP.  It turned out to be PR disaster for them and they are just spiteful enough to keep the IP for themselves and out of competitors hands and they are just arrogant enough to start thinking this might have be good first step to ramping up development for a COH2 (I believe that is unlikely) I think that once GW2 reaches a certain low point they will completely abandon all gaming efforts in the north amercan region and stick with asia.

So am I just being emotionally silly or does anyone else see thiis a valid concern?

Signed
Chris in Virginia
Hopeless COH Addict

[mikenovember]

Hi Chris,

I understand a lot of your fears.  Most of us have had the same, or expressed them here as well as on the old forums. 

I think that you should probably read up on the efforts being done by everyone here.  I don't think anyone wants to see a studio with no love for the game reopen the game. 

But then, anyone who is going to be interested in the game is most likely not going to think they can open up CoH and not keep the elements which made it successful.  If anything, the efforts to save the game have proven that the fanbase is extremely loyal - and a potential gold mine if appealed to properly. 

Over and over, the expectations for what the fanbase has set the bar at have been the same, and address pretty much all of your concerns.  That the game be, at the very least a solid successor in spirit which will embrace and extend the community that is already here.  Basically, anyone putting up the money - already knows they have to make CoH fans happy or they're looking at just throwing money away ... so anyone who does reopen CoH, isn't going to knowingly break our hearts. 

Secondly, as for NCSoft never releasing the IP.  That may not be up to them.  If you swing by the NCSoft Stock watch - you'll see that from September on... even though they've had two 'Major Successes' their stock is at a 54 week low.  Which coincides with the efforts of everyone campaigning against the shut down.  Korean financial news outlets have even taken notice of this, going so far as to call their moves 'baffling' from a business perspective. 

So I suspect that NCSoft will need to do something.  At this point, from a business cultural stand point - they've lost face by being essentially defeated by the CoH user base, and they've been repeatedly knocked out of the NA and EU markets by failing to achieve market share here with their games.  Their stock at this point will most likely continue to drop until they resolve their loss of face. 

They need to be rid of CoH, either by having happy shiny users praising them ... which probably isn't going to be happening any time soon.  Or by releasing the 'offending limb' as it were.  They're running out of options and just waiting for it to all blow over isn't working.  The CoH community has continued to keep the heat on them, and no one sees that letting up any time soon either.  Like I said, they have very few options. 

They need to do something to show that are in control of their business.  Even if it means sucking it up, swallowing their pride, and letting the IP go to someone else.  Hanging on to it is a poison pill for them at this point and they know it. 

So most likely, they will, if the correct offer comes across the table, sell just to be rid of it.  They'll probably do it quietly since that would be traditional in their culture - and the announcement will come from the buyer.  That's going to be their only way out at this point. 

But even if none of that happens - there are efforts going on by multiple teams here to actually create a successor.  A new city for heroes and those efforts are driven by players. 

Those who find that silly or extremely long shot consider this... almost all of our fan base are geeks.  A very large percentage of them work in the computer industry.  Of those, many are veterans.  I know both teams that are working on things have highly skilled veterans - and I would invite you to check their efforts out. 

Everyone is welcome in these efforts.  We're building all an all new city, keeping what we loved about the old one where ever we can (legally) and embracing the ideas which were known by the devs to be the future pursuits of the game, and even updating the tech - which was 8 years old. 

Don't give up.  Heroes don't have that luxury.  Hanging in there, and giving it all we have is in our DNA.  So, welcome, and stand with us. 

It's the biggest TF you've ever seen here, and we plan on winning. 

[dplankey]

I knew that their stocks had dropped somewhat substantially but I was under the impression not so much for them to have lost face.  Culturally that is a big deal for them in that regard.  I was not aware that this has cost them substantially in the eyes of the marketwatchers.  That is good news.  Well Im still optimistic albeit cautiously so.  I am an Avid MMO player and while there are things out there to take my mind off this issue, I just hopelessly miss the game.   Very well then continue on with your endeavors, I will continue to write my letters/emails or donate where I can.

 

[Victoria Victrix]

Dear Chris;

Here are my credentials in a nutshell:

I've been in communication with Brian Clayton, the Paragon Studios Manager, since the shutdown.  I am also in communication now with two more of the Senior Devs.

I seem to have become the go-to person for interviews (possibly because I have some small fame as an author--Mercedes Lackey is my name) and recently had an interview with a reporter for the Korean Times which made the front page of their "Money" section both online and in print.

I'm 1/4 of Team Wildcard.

Here is what I know about the dev team.  Brian Clayton has indicated to me that even now, although about 75% of the Paragon Studios personnel have gotten other jobs, he can still get a core studio back together, either because they don't have jobs now, or he can hire them back.

The Korean Times article seems to have had a direct effect on NCSoft's home ground.  Immediately after the publication of the article (I mean within the hour) the stock dropped 12,500 won.  NCSoft can no longer afford to ignore the SaveCoH groups.

As the stock continues to drop, stockholders will demand that NCSoft make back some of the lost money somehow. This will almost certainly include selling assets that have no physical value--like the IPs and code for closed games.  The stockholders may actually force the current CEOs out if they refuse to do this.  CEOs have been fired (yes even, or especially, in Korea) for less.

Depending on who TF Hail Mary can sell the "buy CoH" pitch to, it is possible the potential buyer will have so much clout that not selling to them would lose face.  Our first pitch target, Disney, is that sort of potential buyer.

We don't intend to stop with Disney, and the larger SaveCoH movement does not intend to let up on the pressure.

I hope that answers your questions and doubts.

[OzonePrime]

"NCSoft can no longer afford to ignore the SaveCoH groups.



Huge smile!

[johnrobey]

I just wanted to Thank team Wildcard and the community again.  You guys rock!!!

[Archlight]

/agree

I now understand this effort so much better go team Wildcard.

[Kistulot]

Once again I find myself eternally grateful that we have you on our side! Thank you so much!

[Jade77]

Nice and short summation Mercedes.  It cleared many unspoken issues for e as well....  think we can sick the Herald mages after them?  lol