If you happened to trot over to the official site for the MMORPG, City of Heroes today, you may have noticed some new adornments on the main page.
Yes, your eyes are working correctly; NCsoft announced an acquisition of the City of Heroes game license and a formation of a new development studio that’ll completely focus on future developments of the MMORPG.
Previously, the game’s license was split between the game’s original developer Cryptic Studio and NCsoft.
This may indicate that Cryptic Studios is moving towards a new game IP but the split was amicable; the formation of NCsoft’s new studio, called NCsoft NorCal, is comprised of many original City of Heroes team members.
Matt Miller, lead designer on City of Heroes, said, "We’re thrilled to be bringing the CoH franchise to the next level. And we couldn’t be more pleased to be working completely under the NCsoft banner. We feel that City of Heroes’ best days are in front of it."
NCsoft is planning to invest loads of cash into the MMORPG, so the company will be announcing formal plans, which include expansions and sequels in the coming months. In the meantime, current City of Heroes players can benefit from a few gifts, in light of the acquisition:
"Full Access to City of Heroes and City of Villains
All players with City of Heroes retail* accounts will now have access to City of Villains, and all City of Villains retail accounts will now have access to City of Heroes. Players that didn’t previously have access to "the other side" will find that they do now. Just log in to check it out!
Debt Wipe
After the launch of Issue 11: A Stitch in Time this Fall, we are removing Debt from all characters and giving you a fresh start. Actual date will be announced shortly. Have fun in the mean time.
20,000 Prestige
Also after the launch of Issue 11, all Supergroups will receive an additional 20,000 Prestige per Supergroup member, meaning SGs could acquire up to 3 million Prestige based upon their Supergroup membership roster! Actual date will be announced shortly."
