City of Heroes hopes quashed by NCSoft

City of Heroes cannot be saved, publisher NCSoft has told fans campaigning to keep the MMORPG running.

"We wanted to let you know that your voices have been heard and your concerns have been taken into serious consideration. We appreciate the overwhelmingly constructive and positive messages in the emails, notes, and packages you've sent in support of the game," the publisher said in a statement.

"It has not been an easy decision for us to close Paragon Studios and prepare to shut down City of Heroes. We've exhausted all options including the selling of the studio and the rights to the City of Heroes intellectual property, but in the end, efforts to do so were not successful. City of Heroes has a special place in all of our hearts, and we want to ensure its reputation and the memories we share for the game end on a high note."

City of Heroes fans gathered over 20,000 signatures as well as performing more concrete acts like taking Paragon Studios out to dinner in their quest to convince NCSoft to keep the game open. End-game events run until the closing date of November 30.

City of Heroes survived a developer change and a free-to-play transition to last eight years. It is celebrated for its broad customisation options and enthusiastic, narratively-driven player community. Character creation has been closed so if you missed out, you will never know what once was.

Thanks, Massively.