People Asked For A Tournament - First Announced Event For Fanfest 2020

The news from CCP about EVE Online is coming fast and furious. I haven't had time to write about the war declaration system changes or the 64-bit client, but I did catch word of the latest on the EVE tournament scene for 2019. In the past, CCP or the players running events have always run tournaments.

This year, I'm going to guess that all the speculation about CCP not holding an alliance tournament because of staffing limitations is correct. Why? Because CCP is doing another one of their world events concerning PvP:

"The EVE Invasion World Tour is taking us to several locations around the globe this year and every event will feature a single elimination 2v2 tournament to find the most bloodthirsty PvPers each region has to offer.

"Brave Capsuleers who decide to take on this challenge will be fighting for more than just the title, PLEX and bragging rights. Every winning team from all seven locations will be invited for a paid trip to CCP’s home in Reykjavik to showcase their prowess in battle and compete against each other at EVE Fanfest 2020!

"For those of you who cannot directly participate in the competition, we have prepared a Prediction Bracket Challenge. This little contest will let everyone submit their predictions for a chance to win one of five prizes consisting of swag and codes for digital items in EVE Online.

"We hope that the EVE Invasion Tournament Series will deliver a solid performance of sportsmanship, destruction and create unforgettable moments throughout the year for all participants and live stream viewers around the world.

"To be clear, this series is not designed nor intended to replace or fill the gap made by the Alliance Tournament taking a break in 2019. Rest assured, CCP is committed to carrying on the tradition of yearly Alliance contests in the future that many players get to love."

Now, the idea of flying players into Reykjavik at CCP expense is not a new concept. In 2015, Fanfest saw the Worlds Collide event when a team from China's Serenity cluster faced off on-stage against the Alliance Tournament XII champions Camel Empire.



The year 2015 also saw the death of Empress Jamyl of the Amarr Empire. A PvP tournament, the Amarr Championships, was set up to determine the next leader of the NPC faction, with the finals held in Reykjavik in 2016.



Now, why would I write about a PvP tournament? I never go to them when I'm at the conventions, except for the Amarr Championships back in 2016. I'm also the farthest from an elite PvP player you can get (although I am an expert at running away). The answer is simple. I do go to the big EVE Online meetups. If CCP is going to spend money to fly players out to that volcanic rock located somewhere in the North Atlantic for a PvP tournament, then I think Fanfest 2020 will have a decent budget after all.