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[CoH] And if the petition succeeds, then what?

I think it’s great that a lot of people have gotten together to rally behind City of Heroes. Whenever players organize for the powers of good, it’s worth stopping to take notice. For all that, I can’t figure out who the heck is doing the majority of support.

Is it players? Bloggers? Or here’s a distinct possibility, ex-players who don’t want to let go of their nostalgia. Given that these games are business tools, only that first group is important. If column A outnumbered columns B or C, would the game even be closing in the first place?

So my question goes out to those last two parties. Let’s say this thing succeeds, what then? How much are you personally willing to spend on an aging MMO right after Guild Wars 2 has come out and expansions are on the way. How many signing this petition will actually drop money on expansions and cash shop items when they, in truth, have no vested interest in this beyond rooting for the little guy and their own washed out memories? That’s not everyone but, then again, the game is three steps from the gallows so, yeah, it’s a lot of them.

Because if you’re signing this thing without any intent to actually spend — and I mean real “I’m going to put at least X dollars in this thing” intent — you’re not doing anyone any good. What’s the most you could gain from “success” in that scenario, a year of tortured pseudo-development? The playerbase wasn’t enough to keep the lights on. If you want to make a difference, you’d better be willing to put your money where your mouth is.

That’s why this thing is an admirable, it’s also unlikely to make a difference. The fact is it is a lot easier to type your name or check a box than spend real money; there is no commitment beyond that “name” box. And when you’re trying to save a business, commitment and follow-through are the only things that matter. How many people would sign if there was a $10 fee, I wonder.

I wish this petition the best. I just hope the people signing on and “ra-ra-ra”ing from the sidelines actually mean what they say. Delaying the inevitable can be worse than a quick and clean ending.

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