“City of Heroes” private server granted official license to continue operating
“City of Heroes” was a beloved MMORPG that launched in April 2004 and lasted just over eight years. In 2012, the superhero MMO was officially shut down, leaving a dedicated community of players devastated. However, in 2019, it was revealed that a secret, unofficial private server had been running the game since its closure. This news brought hope to fans who continued to play the game despite its official demise.
Now, the developers behind the unofficial fan-run project “Homecoming” have announced that NCSoft, the original developer of “City of Heroes,” has granted them an official license to operate a private server for the game. This means that the popular “Homecoming” server will be allowed to continue running and developing the game, with certain conditions and limitations under the new contract.
In a post on the “Homecoming” forums, the developers expressed their gratitude to fans for their patience and announced that accounts and characters on the server are “safe” and will not be deleted. They also stated that new content will continue to be created for the server, and access will remain free, with the project being funded entirely through fan donations.
As part of the deal, it appears that other private servers for “City of Heroes” may not be able to continue operating, as the agreement requires a single “in-house installation and patching solution.” The “Homecoming” team hopes that this will help centralize the community and bring more players to their server.
The announcement has been met with mostly positive reactions from the community, with many expressing surprise and gratitude at the rare example of fans being allowed to officially keep a game alive. The deal also sheds light on the potential for preserving and keeping MMOs alive after their official shutdown, as long as there is fan interest and support for the game.
Overall, the “City of Heroes” deal with “Homecoming” serves as a unique example of how companies and fans can work together to preserve beloved games, and offers hope for the future of game preservation and support for dead games.