City of Heroes Shutting Down November 30

After nearly eight years of operation, NCsoft announced yesterday that its superhero-themed MMO City of Heroes will by shutting down by the end of the year.

Development on City of Heroes was originally handled by Cryptic Studios, but the torch was passed to NCsoft subsidiary Paragon Studios several years back. Along with the closure of the game, the company also announced that Paragon Studios itself will also be shutting down.

“Effective immediately, all development on City of Heroes will cease and we will begin preparations to sunset the world’s first, and best, Super Hero MMORPG before the end of the year,” community manager Andy Belford said in a post on the game’s website. “As part of this, all recurring subscription billing and Paragon Market purchasing will be discontinued effective immediately.

“I implore you all, focus on the good things of CoH and Paragon Studios. Don’t dwell on the ‘how’ or the ‘why’, but rather join us in celebrating the legacy of an amazing partnership between the players and the development team.”

Belford went on to say that NCsoft plans to shut down City of Heroes by November 30. No details were available at this time, but the company says that it soon will be announcing its plans for the cessation of services, and what players can expect ingame before the gaem’s closure.

City of Heroes was easily one of my favorite MMOs of the decade, so count me among those disappointed by the news, few as we may be.

Are you disappointed that City of Heroes is coming to an end, or do you think it’s about time?