City of Heroes publisher NCsoft dashes hopes of saving game or developer

City of Heroes won't be getting a last-minute reprieve from being shut down, according to publisher NCsoft, who says it "exhausted all options" but wasn't able to save the game or its developer, Paragon Studios.

In an open letter posted yesterday, NCsoft acknowledged the "overwhelmingly constructive and positive messages" it and Paragon have received from fans, including emails, packages, and an online petition with over 20,000 signatures. The publisher said that choosing to close Paragon and shut down the game "has not been an easy decision." NCsoft explained that it explored selling the studio as well as the rights to the City of Heroes intellectual property, but "in the end, efforts to do so were not successful."

The company concluded by noting that Paragon will be holding in-game sunset events in the run-up to its scheduled closure on Nov. 30, and asking fans to "join forces and enjoy their time in a game that we've enjoyed supporting for more than eight years."

City of Heroes, the first superhero MMO, was originally developed by Cryptic Studios and launched in 2004. Paragon took over development in 2009, and NCsoft announced the studio's closure and the game's end on Aug. 31.