City of Heroes Rises

In case you missed it during its 8 year run, City of Heroes was one of the first superhero MMO’s.  While it was derided by many as the grindiest in a genre known for grinding, there were plenty of people who loved it.  It had a unique style, a compelling adventure setting, and it wasn’t World Of Warcraft.

Through the years City of Heroes, or CoH as it was known, went through a number of major updates and revisions to keep fans interested, but in the end it didn’t matter.  CoH shut down in late 2012, even after a large group of players banded together to try and save it (read: petition).

Now, some of those hardcore CoH fans are back, and they’ve formed Missing Worlds Media in hopes of resurrecting what was once great in the form of City of Titans.  On the Kickstarter page for City of Titans the team starts with :

The Phoenix Project (City of Titans) is the effort to bring new life from a world laid waste, the name given to an idea that would not be silenced, an idea whose time has come. The idea that a game is more than just a game or a revenue stream. It is a community, a home. Missing Worlds Media, Inc. was the first element of this idea, founded by the project to provide the foundation, the structure for that effort.

The virtual team of 100+ members doesn’t feature anyone with a significant depth of PC game development, but what they lack in experience they may offset with starry eyes and lofty ideals.  With such a democratic process and inexperience there’s a real danger that watching the development may become more entertaining than any game that’s created.  One thing’s for sure, we’ll get to find out.  Only six days into their Kickstarter campaign and the team has blown past their initial $320,000 budget.  Funding continues until November 3rd, so check it out!