CCP addresses EVE faction warfare exploit, players punished
Last week we brought you the story of five EVE Online players who gamed the new faction warfare mechanics to produce trillions of ISK worth a total of $175,000 US. The players who found the exploit did report it for developers to fix, but not before abusing it for a full two weeks. CCP Games spent the week deliberating and today released its official statement on the exploit and the punishments those involved will face.
As market manipulation has always been a legal part of EVE's sandbox gameplay, the lines between exploit and gameplay were not as clear in this case as they could have been. The accounts of those involved will remain in good standing, but all of their ill-gotten gains will be completely removed. The five offenders will essentially be rolled back to where they were before the exploit happened. CCP reminded players that there are rewards for reporting an exploit to developers and that abusing an exploit before reporting it is not considered responsible disclosure.
