Eve Online Subscribers Plan Mass Exodus
The aggressive backlash from customers following the recent launch of Eve Online’s content update, Incarna, is reaching a point of no return. Coupled with the controversy of the subscriber-viewed rigging of the Alliance Tournament, Develop Online is reporting that thousands of Eve Online subscribers are threatening to cancel their subscriptions.
If the threats from customers are real, Eve developer CCP Studios could lose nearly a million in in-game microtransactions and annual subscriptions. To make matters worse, a recent list of subscribers has been published on Google Docs, all of whom promise to cancel their subscriptions soon.
At the time of the story was reported, 5,257 accounts were on the published list of subscribers. It’s possible that the number will rapidly increase, and the mass exodus could result in a huge loss in profitability for CCP Studios.
According to the article, main issues of concern are:
* Eve Online users already pay high subscription fees.
* It is feared these items will give buyers in-game advantages – which will force ambitious players to buy, while those that don’t will be handicapped.
* Eve Online has begun selling non-essential in-game items at inordinately high prices (e.g. $40 virtual t-shirts, $70 for virtual monocles).
* The tone of CCP’s management, expressed through leaked documents and some public statements, has exhibited a lack of empathy for the players’ concerns.
In light of recent events, CCP Studios will be holding a summit between executives and customer service staff, which they hope will resolve customer concerns.
[...] Online. I read with curiosity about game updates (both popular and unpopular), player riots, an exodus of subscribers and the foolish words and subsequent banning of an influential Corporation leader. They felt like [...]