NCSOFT Stocks Representative: Ellie van de Brink, a Tale

Ellie van de Brink was born and raised in Praetoria. Her family moved  there from Dutchland after WWII in Europe. She was a happy child in Imperial City. With her friends she played in the beautiful parks. And of course she went to went to the finest school: Emperor Cole High School. After an academic education at CDEC she became employed at the Imperial Bank of Praetoria as NSCOFT STOCKS Representative. The company was very successful, producing MMO games. Ellie played one too: City of Heroes. She just loved being a hero and get away from everyday's trouble and hastle. She met great people from all over the world. She even got to meet her fellow heroes in real life, during her company trips.

 

Then, on that horrid Friday, August 31st 2012,  the announcement came:

 

In a realignment of company focus and publishing support, NCsoft has made the decision to close Paragon Studios. 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. As part of this, all recurring subscription billing and Paragon Market purchasing will be discontinued effective immediately. We will have more information regarding a detailed timeline for the cessation of services and what you can expect in game in the coming weeks.

The team here at Paragon deserves special praise for all that we have accomplished over the last 5+ years. These developers are some of the most creative and talented people in the gaming industry. By now, we've all been given this news internally, but to anyone who may be reading this message after the fact; know that your hard work and dedication has not gone unappreciated or unnoticed. To any potential studios looking to grow your team; hire these people. You won't regret it.

To our Community,

Thank you. Thank you for your years of support. You've been with us every step of the way, sharing in our challenges, encouraging us to make City of Heroes better, more than everyone else thought it could be. We couldn't have come this far without you. 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.

Thank you, and I'll see you in the skies, one last time.

 It was totally unexpected with a new issue, the 24th,  almost ready to be launched and a new powerset released a mere week before. Moreover, the game was profitable, according to all reports she had access to.

 Ellie was flabbergasted: Don't dwell on the "how" or"why"?? The company she had represented for a few years now, tried to kill the game she loved as many others did? Unbelievable. This was not just a game, it was a community, that helped eachother for various reasons. 
Direct action was undertaken by that community and a petitioned NCSoft to Save City of Heroes
It accumulated over 20,000 signatures in a short time

 Ellie contemplated a moment and went to Wardog, leader of the Resistance and in the know of how to defend not only the real Praetoria, but also Paragon City and even the Rogue Isles.
She explained the situation to Wardog and told him, she liked to join the Resistance to SaveCOH.

 Wardog looked at the lady that stood in front of him in a fine skirtsuit and thought long. Could this quil-driver make a good member of his Resistance? He needed to confer with his fellow Resistance Leaders, but in the meantime it would not hurt hiring her and start to train her.

 

And so it began: Ellie became a member of the Resistance and incorporated her virtual Hero into Real Life, fighting the clsore of city of Heroes.
Ellie was: 

Agent Dutch

 

Ellie discovered she had unexpected electric powers. Wardog taught her how to use these powers. She trained herself against a range of enemies to become stronger and better. Within a week she was ready to travel to Primal Earth, report to Miss Liberty,

 and join the SaveCOH movement of the Titan Network, led by TonyV.

 

She was at the Unity Rally codeword Virtue.

She was at the Unity Walk codeword Victory.

 

She stood vigil for hours, holding her torch, trying to Save her World!

 

 And she kept on fighting onder the codeword Protector till this day.

NCSOFT SHARES PAIN with community

NCSOFT SHARES the pain they experience from protests over the impending closure of City of Heroes/City of Villains when they answer to posts on the facebook page, stating:

"

Dear NCSOFT Facebook Fan,
We feel immense gratitude towards your love and enthusiasm of 'City of Heroes'. It has been quite the privilege and we would like to thank you all. 'City of Heroes' is the world's first and best Super Heroes MMORPG. It has received unconditional love for more than 8 years and it is like a family member of this company.
However, to provide a better game and service in the future, we have made the tough decision to discontinue the game. It was very hard on all of us here at NCSOFT.
NCSOFT will strive for a better game and superior service and anticipates the day that we will meet again. We are confident that we will not look back towards today's choice with regret.
Lastly, for the users who enjoy other games of NCSOFT, we would greatly appreciate it if you can hold back the negative and hurtful comments.
Thank you very much

."

Globetrotter has been a hero for over eight and a half years. She still has many assignments in Paragon City. NCSoft, the producer of CoX, is trying to prevent her from doing that. Globetrotter will fight back though. She joined the comuunity of the Titan Network, co-ordinating the heroic effort to save the City.

For we are Heroes, and this is what we do!