Eve Online In Crisis: The EG Coverage
Eve Online's player base is currently ANGRY. The above image is of a riot that took place this Friday in Jita, one of the virtual universe's biggest trading hubs, and this thread on the official forums is keeping track of all the subscriptions that have been cancelled in protest- some 4,500 so far.
Why all the rage? In short, CCP are dragging the game in a direction the players are deeply uncomfortable with. I know all this because I've just finished reading Eurogamer's sterling coverage of what they're calling the "crisis", and you should too. You can read it here, or get yourself a taste after the jump.
It starts like this:
It should have been a triumphant week for CCP.
The Incarna expansion to Eve Online - AKA Ambulation, AKA Walking in Stations - was first announced over five years ago. Launched last Tuesday, it brought human avatars to a game previously focused solely on spaceships.
But instead of becoming a jubilant landmark, the past week has been dominated by an escalating crisis fuelled by leaked internal documents, a proposed attempt to further monetise a game described internally as a “golden goose”, and a developer attitude that has caused consternation and anger within its community.
And continues right here. And for those of you who aren't aware why the universe of Eve Online crumbling and/or losing its majesty would a miserable disaster, I direct you to our own Jim Rossignol's memoirs of his years in Eve- "The Five Year Spree", and my interview with Eve spymaster Mittani. This is a glorious game. It'd be awful if this did end up being the beginning of the end.
Edit: here's a little footage of the in-game protest. Also, DISCO:
