NCsoft shutting down City of Heroes and its developer

NCsoft will shut down California-based MMORPG developer Paragon Studios and its flagship game City of Heroes, as part of the publisher's efforts to realign its focus and publishing support. Founded five years ago as NCsoft NorCal (and rebranded as Paragon Studios in 2009), the team was formed to take over City of Heroes from its original developer Cryptic Studios after NCsoft purchased the property. City of Heroes was one of the first superhero-themed 3D MMORPGs to become popular when it launched in 2004, and Paragon continued to support the game with regular updates up to this week. In June 2011, the developer even switched the game from a subscription model to free-to-play, as it looked to grow City of Heroes' userbase. But effective immediately, NCsoft has halted all development on the title, and is now preparing to sunset City of Heroes before the end of the year. Sources close to the matter tell Gamasutra that some 80 employees have been affected by the layoffs.