CCP extends promotional EVE accounts until 31st Jan as a show of good faith
Back in November, CCP was gearing up for the release of EVE Online's entire Incursion expansion. Although the expansion wasn't quite ready, CCP's developers felt committed to their planned release schedule. Player feedback on the issue was in strong opposition, with players worried that the expansion might be released in an unfinished or rushed state and then not be revisited for months to come. In a promising move, CCP opted to switch to a staged release plan. Parts of the expansion that were ready were released immediately, with a further release in December for parts that had been completed that month. The final phase of the expansion was released yesterday, containing the impressive new character generator and all the content and mechanics for the upcoming Sansha incursions.
The modified release schedule has been good for current EVE subscribers due to the added quality and polish of the expansion's features, but there's one group for whom the new release date was less than fair. Several months ago, CCP mailed out a five-day free reactivation offer to thousands of expired accounts. These players were also offered the special deal on game time with the intention of letting them experience the Incursion expansion. Since the expansion's release schedule had been pushed back, many of the players who took up this offer with the intent of trying out Incursion would not have been able to take part.
To ensure those affected could take part in the Sansha live events and the invasions that will follow, CCP has extended over 5,000 of these promotional accounts until 31st January, free of charge. When contacted for question, a CCP representative gave the following statement: "This is a one-time thing. It seemed really unfair to me we'd sell that content in an offer then move part of it within a week like that, thus not honoring what we sold someone on. The goal is to actually honor the offer we made, in writing, to these people."
