City of Heroes, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the superhero comic book genre, is dropping support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, according to its publishers.

Developed by Cryptic Studios and published by NCsoft, City of Heroes has gamers using an extensive character creation system to select an archetype, then primary and secondary power sets, then design a costume that is unique to them.

Before they kick off campaigning in Paragon City, a fictitious city located in Rhode Island in the United States, players have the option to choose a name, write a backstory or description, and a battle cry for their hero. Names, however, must be exclusive on a given server.

Much like other MMORPGs, City of Heroes rewards players with various items described as intangible. These include "inspirations" (temporary powerups), and "influence" (a replacement for money).

"Enhancements" cover magic enchantments, gadgets, and training techniques.

According to the latest update from NCsoft, Mac owners who are enjoying City of Heroes on a Mac running Leopard will need to consider upgrading their operating system, should they wish to continue playing.

"Due to Apple no longer supporting Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, we are unable to continue supporting that specific Mac Operating System," NCsoft said in a post on the official cityofheroes.com site.

"As of today, after the end of the maintenance, the Mac system requirements for official support from the City of Heroes team are Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion," the publisher confirms. "Thank you for your understanding," the post reads at the end.

City of Heroes was released for Mac in January 2009 with a Mac Special Edition including the client, 30 days of game time, and exclusive in-game items.