City of Heroes Granted New Life Through Rare Fan Server Deal

The ongoing saga of the superhero MMORPG City of Heroes took an unexpected positive turn in early 2024. After years of existing in a legal gray area, the most popular remaining fan-run server for the game has received an official license from IP owner NCSoft. This rare move embraces a passionate player community keeping a shuttered game alive and evolving.

Key Highlights:

• City of Heroes was an influential superhero MMO running from 2004-2012
• The game retained a dedicated fanbase even after official servers shut down
• Fans used leaked server code to launch unauthorised private servers
• In 2024, NCSoft granted a license to the Homecoming fan server
• Homecoming can now legally continue operations and make new content
• Players won’t lose progress and hope for centralised community

Beloved Superhero MMO Meets a Premature End

City of Heroes first launched in April 2004, pioneering the superhero game genre. Players created their own customisable heroes and explored the fictional streets of Paragon City fighting crime. The title garnered critical acclaim and a small but dedicated fanbase. Users could play online with friends and team up to complete missions together.

However, by 2012 publisher NCSoft decided to shut down City of Heroes and its developer Paragon Studios.

The news devastated fans at the time, especially because the game remained profitable. But NCSoft wanted to shift focus away from Western releases.

This premature end left players hungry for more superhero adventures. Some refused to let go, forming secret unauthorised servers to keep playing. In 2019, code leaks enabled more public fan servers, though always under threat of legal action.

Surprise Deal Embraces Fan Revival Efforts

Despite the legal risks, grassroots groups like Homecoming kept City of Heroes’ community spirit alive through their own servers. Homecoming became the most prominent revival option.

After years of uncertainty, Homecoming revealed in January 2024 via their official forums that NCSoft was granting them an official license. Accounts and characters were safe, and work could begin on new content. The publisher shifted its stance to embrace the fan server model.

Server admins thanked the community for their patience during lengthy negotiations. While details remain scarce, the deal appears to clamp down on competing fan hosts to unite fans on Homecoming.

Players expressed joy and relief that years of preservation work paid off. The game can now evolve thanks to fan passion, rather than remain static abandonware.

Rare Fan Server Deal Offers Hope

This deal represents a rare alignment between company interests and fan communities. MMO server code leaks often bring cease and desist letters or lawsuits. At best, companies tend to look the other way regarding fan servers.

But fully licensing a fan server gives hope that game publishers can find symbiotic solutions serving both sides. Other community-driven game revivals like The Sinking City show this cooperative direction gaining momentum.

Of course, questions remain around Homecoming’s scope and NCSoft’s commitment. But the City of Heroes case sets a bold precedent in embracing and empowering fans to keep online worlds alive.

When communities organise around preservation and innovation, companies can tap into that energy rather than simply shut it down.

As the gaming industry matures, creative new models like the Homecoming server arise to serve dedicated player bases even for discontinued games. While unclear if more companies will make similar moves, the City of Heroes resurrection demonstrates the positive potential when fans and studios work together to break new ground.