City of Heroes to end this year, Paragon Studios closing

NCsoft's long-running hero-themed MMO, City of Heroes, will be closing later this year as part of a "realignment of company focus and publishing support." Development on the title will cease immediately, and all recurring subscription billing and Paragon Market purchasing will be discontinued right now. The MMO will be shut down before the end of the year, although a more detailed timeline has yet to be prepared.

In addition to shutting down the game, developer Paragon Studios will also be closed. The studio began working on the game in 2007, after NCsoft picked up the rights from original developer Crytpic Studios. In a message from the dev's community manager Andy Belford, he asks "potential studios" to hire affected employees. "You won't regret it," he notes.

"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," he added.

City of Heroes launched in 2004.