In the MMORPG EVE Online, a new Prospector pack was introduced on March 9. Players can buy it for 24.99 Euros. However, some see this pack as Pay2Win. The community is in an uproar, and a former member of the partner program addressed the developer CCP in an open letter.
What kind of package is this? For 24.99 Euros, players receive the following content:
- 30-day subscription
- 100 PLEX – The real money currency in EVE
- A fully equipped Retriever
The Retriever is a mining ship that already comes fully equipped with skill books, modules, skill points, and ship insurance.
How is this Pay2Win? The Retriever is currently being criticized for two reasons. Firstly, beginners are given a ship right away that they would otherwise have to play for many hours to obtain. They lose touch with the costs and development systems in the game.
Secondly, the developers are indirectly interfering with the economy of EVE. The Retriever can be manufactured and sold by other players. However, if all newcomers already own such a ship, the resale value of the Retrievers will decrease.
“The line is drawn at items that players create themselves”
What do players say on EVE’s reddit? In the currently largest threads on reddit, almost exclusively, the new shop item is being discussed. One is titled: “I hope none of you were building Retrievers” (via reddit).
Players are particularly disturbed by the interference in the economy. The protest against the ships is led by an active member of the CSM, the Council of Stellar Management, which consists of 10 players elected by the community to work closely with the developer CCP. They are supposed to analyze the situation in the game and the community to help the developers make the right decisions.
Deltaxi65 wrote on reddit:
I have always emphasized that the line on selling game objects is at those created by the players themselves. We tell them this over and over and over again.
The sale of upgraded ships, even to new players, is not right. Learning how to buy ships in the game, how to earn the money for the purchase, how to equip them, and so on, is a fundamental element of EVE, and if the game is dumbed down so much that players can circumvent this for $25, even if just once, it harms them in the long run.
Deltaxi, known in the forum as Brisc Rubal, wrote an open letter that active and former members of the CSM participated in (via EVE Online Forum). In it, he writes, among other things:
“We cannot speak for all our colleagues, but we have not spoken to a single player who supports this sale, and we believe it is a serious misjudgment on the part of CCP management that the player base would accept such a sale. […].
We cannot in good faith tell any player that the line is reached here, as we have now experienced twice that CCP has willingly crossed a line that we were convinced was absolutely taboo. Players’ concerns that CCP will sell cruisers, battleships, aircraft carriers, dreads, and even supercarriers and Titan-equipped ships for real cash – concerns that some of us would have thought unfounded just yesterday – are now valid and should be addressed.
We urge you to listen to the players’ opinion and stop this sale immediately. Additionally, you should publicly affirm that monetization through the sale of customized ships […] is taboo for future monetization.
TL;DR – Please stop the sale and never do this again.
What do the developers say? So far, there has been no official statement from the developer CCP.
This action currently overshadows the good steps that CCP has initiated. They have announced a new patch with graphical revisions that has generally been well received by players (via EVE).
Additionally, the developers started the action “We stand together,” where players can donate their PLEX and CCP will double the donated value in real money.
We will keep you updated if CCP releases a statement.
Just half a year ago, an update was released that made entry into EVE Online significantly easier:
