City of Heroes petition gathers 20,000 signatures

City of Heroes fans have poured tremendous effort into trying to save the MMORPG, which is scheduled to close before the end of the year.

Massively notes a petition to keep the game online has gathered more than 20,000 signatures.

But signatures aren't all fans are fronting in order to save the unique virtual world; ONRPG reports players coughed up over $1,000 to treat Paragon Studios to a meal, to show support and gratitude to the team.

One player has written a stirring letter to NCSoft asking the publisher's staff to play the game and see for themselves why it's worth preserving; others have since copied the missive and posted it to the game's official email address.

Paragon Studios has also been quietly fighting to save the active community - and itself - from closure. NCSoft has begun issuing refunds for City of Heroes subscriptions and has scheduled end game events.