July 16, 2008
It’s All Access for City of
Heroes and City of Villains
NCsoft readies the number 1
super-powered MMO for more
There is a reason for the rejoicing
in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. It is official – NCsoft has completely
merged the two games into one game universe. All current subscribers who only
had one of the games (City of Heroes or City of Villains) now have access to the
features of both games. Additionally, all City of Heroes and City of Villains
games for sale at retail or online will grant access to both games.
This is the final step needed in
preparing the IP for future projects, to be announced later this year. Paragon
City and the Rogue Isles have always been a part of the same game universe. When
City of Villains launched in 2005 as a stand-alone game, it did not launch with
an extra subscription fee, so there has always been this feeling that they are
closely related. What’s different here is that NCsoft has taken down the barrier
where players had to have a City of Villains serial code to make a villain, and
vice versa. Now, it doesn’t matter if you bought Heroes or Villains, you can
make characters from either faction and experience their unique game content.
Additionally, Heroes now have access to base building, which was previously only
available if you had purchased City of Villains.
“In setting the stage for our
upcoming plans for the IP, we felt the time was right to truly consolidate the
City of Heroes and City of Villains universe,” said Brian Clayton, General
Manager and Executive Producer. “We have removed all restrictions that were
created when City of Villains launched in order to make way for some really cool
content and features we have in the pipeline. This is an evolution of the IP
that lays the foundation for what’s to come.”
The most recent game update, Issue
12: Midnight Hour, launched in May and included a wealth of features, including
a new Greek and Roman inspired zone, Villain Epic Archetypes, Powerset
Proliferation, as well as more character slots so that players can try out the
new character powers and Archetypes.
“We know that character variety is
one of our greatest strengths and that’s why our players love to create new
characters” said Matt Miller, Lead Designer. “Even former players who reactivate
will be pleasantly surprised to see new open character slots waiting for them.”
Uniting the City of Heroes universe
enables the development team to focus on other features slated to come in future
installments. Improvements to Supergroup Bases and raids, an offline character
reward system, and the previously revealed Mission Maker are just some of the
systems that will see the benefits of a unified City of Heroes game.