EVE developers to hold a meet and greet in Las Vegas

The major player gathering for EVE Online players is Fanfest, which is held in Reykjavik each year. However, the fact is many players can't make the trip to Iceland, and a number of North American players have hoped for an event that's more accessible to them. It looks like this is going to happen, and what's more accessible than Las Vegas? (Bonus: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.")

The 2009 EVE Developers Meet and Greet in Las Vegas was mentioned very briefly during the recent (and excellent) Alliance PvP Tournament, but more info is available now. EVE Vegas is a two-day event that will be held on May 8th and 9th at the Imperial Palace (on the Strip). It kicks off on a Friday with the Meet and Greet, followed up by a conference on Saturday.

Despite the setting, we suspect it'll be rather low-key compared to EVE Fanfest. The event is more about speaking with the developers in a more (hopefully not 'too') intimate setting. The event's site lists what EVE Vegas will offer to players who attend:

• Get to see all the cool new stuff coming in future patches.

• Get to hear stories of how the game came to be.

• Free booze and an excuse to come to Las Vegas.

• Come enjoy the party. We promise it will not be forgotten quickly.

So far the devs that will be in Vegas are executive producer Nathan "Oveur" Richardsson and technical producer Adalsteinn "ActiveAlli" Ottarsson. It's likely that other CCP Games developers will take part, but no further details on that front are presently listed.

The only real downside to having this US event is that in order to attend you'll need to pony up $100 (or $90 if ordering tickets by the end of February). We suspect that the price will keep a lot of the more casual players from checking it out, making the meet and greet something for the most hardcore of the hardcore. And when you're talking about EVE Online, that's really saying something.

You can check out the 2009 EVE Developers Meet and Greet site for more about the event, and if you're interested, this is where you can also get your tickets.