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CCP reiterates anti-pay-to-win stance for EVE microtransactions
CCP has been pretty quiet on the subject of microtransactions since last summer's monoclegate and the ensuing Jita protests. EVE Online creative director Torfi Frans Olafsson recently spoke up about the trendy new business model, and while he acknowledged that it is popular, he also said that CCP is "very reluctant to do that in EVE because it's so established. It's like changing the DNA of a living organism after it's born. That didn't work in Blade Runner," he tells PC Gamer. Olafsson also repeats the anti-pay-to-win mantra that comes standard in just about every developer interview these days. He says that CCP will sell cosmetic items in EVE, including makeovers for your avatar, ship, and starbase. Given the fact that players will be purchasing weapons and gear in DUST 514 (which will interface directly with EVE's pre-existing economy), we've no doubt it will be interesting to see how CCP maintains that delicate balance. "I think we have to be very careful in introducing such mechanics into EVE. And I personally think that we shouldn't be doing it in the near future," Olafsson says, "because it's such a vulnerable little flower in a vulnerable little ecosystem. You make minor changes to an ecosystem and you can introduce hostile things and the whole system breaks down." Check out the video interview after the cut.
EVE Online controversy erupts in protests
Over the past few days, our inboxes here at Massively have been positively overflowing with tips and comments from readers about the ongoing turmoil in EVE Online. It all began with the Incarna update, which added an item shop to the long-running sci-fi sandbox. Players began to voice their concerns over the bizarrely high prices of items in the shop, with one particular item reaching an insane $68 US. Before this hullabaloo had the chance to so much as come to a simmer, an internal newsletter from CCP was leaked to the internet. The document outlined the introduction of microtransactions into EVE and mentioned that at some point, ships, ammunition, and so forth may be available for purchase with real-world currency. This naturally sent players into even more of a frenzy. The whole ordeal came to a head yesterday when CCP Zulu attempted to douse the flames by addressing the issues directly in a dev diary. The play backfired, however, as players took issue with the dev blog's tone and attitude toward the upset players. Not long after that, an internal CCP email was leaked explaining the reasoning behind the controversial blog post, which only added fuel to the flames. The result of this blazing hellstorm of controversy? Riots, of course. Players have gathered en masse at Rens, Jita, and Amarr to show their displeasure. As of the time of this writing, the protests are still going strong and show few signs of stopping. What will come of these protests, though? Hopefully we'll be finding that out soon enough. Be sure to stick with Massively in the coming days as our resident EVE expert will be covering the topic in his column this Sunday while we await response from CCP Zulu. Until then, be sure to go check out Brendan's appearance on EVE Radio for an in-depth discussion of the issues at hand.
CCP addresses EVE controversies in new dev blog
As controversy burns through New Eden like white-hot internet spaceship exhaust, CCP higher-ups have at last reached out to the EVE Online community via a new dev blog. The piece, authored by senior producer Arnar Hrafn Gylfason, tackles the week's two hot topics in brief fashion. First up is an attempt to quell the brouhaha surrounding the internal company memo that leaked earlier this week and brought to light some of CCP's discussions regarding future microtransactions. Gylfason defends EVE staffers, who he says were simply following orders by discussing microtransactions in ways that were "exaggerated purposefully to draw contrasts and make points." He also points out that EVE's future RMT implementations are not contained in the memos, as much of the discussion was theoretical in nature. Finally, Gylfason addresses the hugely controversial prices in EVE's new item shop, and despite the public outcry, he doesn't seem too apologetic. On the contrary, he intimates that the prices will stay and that CCP "will gradually introduce items at other price points, definitely lower and probably higher than what's in the store today." Stick with Massively for more from resident EVE expert Brendan Drain as he talks candidly with CCP about Incarna and the week that was.
