In the MMORPG EVE Online, chaos breaks out, and that is exactly what CCP’s CEO, Hilmar Pétursson, wants. He warns players: Get ready for the impact. According to the CEO, EVE Online had more players in July 2019 than in the last 5 years.
What’s happening in EVE Online? For years, EVE Online existed in constant conflicts. These were initiated by the players: Huge alliances of thousands of pilots formed and fought against each other. There were major intrigues, wars, betrayal, lies, espionage, and dramas.
But that came from the players. The game universe itself was relatively stable and predictable.
This has changed in recent weeks. Now CCP is actively intervening in the MMORPG:
- With the Drifters, CCP has turned seemingly harmless NPCs into serious opponents. The Drifters disrupt players’ plans and launch attacks.
- Furthermore, CCP has changed how players’ warning systems function – due to a blackout, EVE suddenly becomes dangerous
- At the same time, developer CCP has not communicated some of the changes and simply let them happen – some players even declared war on CCP as a result. CCP responded by making the NPCs even more aggressive.
CEO of EVE says: We do not want this so-called order
This is what the CEO says: The CEO of CCP Games recently discussed the changes in a podcast (via talkingstations).
He says: “Over time, the chaos in EVE Online has slowly moved towards order and reached a common denominator of how things should be.”
But this so-called order is not something he and his team wish for EVE Online.
The goal is to mix things up with more experiments in the coming months.
Era of Chaos – Prepare for the Impact
What’s next? Pétursson has declared this time of chaos and tells players they should prepare for the impact.
Next, CCP plans a massive intervention in the game’s economy (via devblog). A tax increase is coming to the MMORPG EVE Online. It is mainly aimed at NPC-controlled space stations, thereby strengthening the player-run markets.
Additionally, there are hints that CCP is questioning “Asset Security,” the security of items.
Currently, if a space station is destroyed, a player can, under special circumstances, retrieve the items they would otherwise lose.
As Kotaku reports, the lead community developer has stated for years that he opposes this system. This is not something that should exist in EVE Online. Pétursson now states that Asset Security is something that could be removed from the game to increase the factors of “chaos” and “risk” in EVE Online.
EVE Online had more players in July 2019 than in the last 5 years
Has this been successful? The reactions to this era of chaos and change are mixed. Some are happy about the variety; others criticize the new form of EVE Online.
The notable community leader, The Mittani, commented on the Drifter invasion, that if he wanted this PvE crap, he would have stayed with WoW.
According to the CEO, the strategy has been successful. July 2019 would have been the strongest month with the most active players in 5 years.
About a year ago, CCP was bought by a Korean studio. It is quite possible that the revival of EVE Online and the “new more radical perspective” are related to this.
