from : http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?LOADNEWS=11213&bhcp=1

Villains and Heroes Merge Digg this article
By Keith Cross on Jul 16, 2008

NCsoft has announced that City of Heroes and City of Villains have now
been fully integrated and are the same game, meaning that players who
previously had access to only one of the games now have access to
both.

   There is a reason for the rejoicing in Paragon City and the Rogue
Isles. It is official – NCsoft has completely merged the two games
into one game universe. All current subscribers who only had one of
the games (City of Heroes or City of Villains) now have access to the
features of both games. Additionally, all City of Heroes and City of
Villains games for sale at retail or online will grant access to both
games.

   This is the final step needed in preparing the IP for future
projects, to be announced later this year. Paragon City and the Rogue
Isles have always been a part of the same game universe. When City of
Villains launched in 2005 as a stand-alone game, it did not launch
with an extra subscription fee, so there has always been this feeling
that they are closely related. What’s different here is that NCsoft
has taken down the barrier where players had to have a City of
Villains serial code to make a villain, and vice versa. Now, it
doesn’t matter if you bought Heroes or Villains, you can make
characters from either faction and experience their unique game
content. Additionally, Heroes now have access to base building, which
was previously only available if you had purchased City of Villains.

   “In setting the stage for our upcoming plans for the IP, we felt
the time was right to truly consolidate the City of Heroes and City of
Villains universe,” said Brian Clayton, General Manager and Executive
Producer. “We have removed all restrictions that were created when
City of Villains launched in order to make way for some really cool
content and features we have in the pipeline. This is an evolution of
the IP that lays the foundation for what’s to come.”

   The most recent game update, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, launched in
May and included a wealth of features, including a new Greek and Roman
inspired zone, Villain Epic Archetypes, Powerset Proliferation, as
well as more character slots so that players can try out the new
character powers and Archetypes.

    “We know that character variety is one of our greatest strengths
and that’s why our players love to create new characters” said Matt
Miller, Lead Designer. “Even former players who reactivate will be
pleasantly surprised to see new open character slots waiting for
them.”

   Uniting the City of Heroes universe enables the development team
to focus on other features slated to come in future installments.
Improvements to Supergroup Bases and raids, an offline character
reward system, and the previously revealed Mission Maker are just some
of the systems that will see the benefits of a unified City of Heroes
game.