Currently we are seeing _very predictable feedback_ on what we are doing. Having the perspective of having done this for a decade, I can tell you that this is one of the moments where we look at what our players do and less of what they say. Innovation takes time to set in and the predictable reaction is always to resist change.
In 2011, a leaked internal email from CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson contributed greatly to the event known in EVE history as The Summer of Rage. I use the quote above often, as I believe the events led to an era of distrust between the developers and the players. One of the many concerns were CCP's plans to monetize the game.
Move forward almost 11 years. Players are still worried about monetization efforts that would negatively affect the game. Today, the issues involve non-fungable tokens, the metaverse, and play-to-earn mechanics. On 5 November 2021, CCP announced the company was giving out NFTs for prizes in Alliance Tournament XVII. Six days later, Pearl Abyss stated CCP's parent company was looking for opportunities to introduce NFT into both EVE and Black Desert Online on a quarterly earnings call. Also starting on that November call, analysts began asking about the possibility of introducing the play-to-earn model into EVE. Perhaps more ominously, Pearl Abyss invested $3 million into Hyperreal, a metaverse company whose software can create NFTs the day before CCP announced the introduction of NFTs into EVE Online via the Alliance Tournament.
Of course, Hilmar looked excited about the move to embrace NFTs.
The first ever NFTs from #eveonline Alliance Tournament are rolling in. It’s kind of historic! https://t.co/o8qE76jZ9K
— CCP Hellmar (@HilmarVeigar) November 6, 2021
He even went around to conferences joining meetings with NFT types.
One of my favorite gdc moments was this private session with @HilmarVeigar to talk about @EveOnline with the @YieldGuild, @Delphi_Digital and @BitkraftVC teams. pic.twitter.com/6Eb4gi9a0k
— Eden (@eden_holdings) March 29, 2022
Which leads us to yesterday. Hilmar made a much needed statement about blockchain technology before Fanfest in a few weeks.
There has been a lot of speculation around blockchain technology, NFTs and cryptocurrency and what that means for the future of EVE Online, so I wanted to address it.
At CCP, our mission is to have the EVE Universe outlive us all: EVE Forever. One huge part of this is exploring new technologies and new possibilities - something EVE players know that I’m always fascinated by. This philosophy is rooted in EVE Online’s inception; when we created EVE, it was seen as too radical and ambitious, yet here we are about to celebrate EVE’s 19th anniversary.
Many of us at CCP have been following the new frontier that has been developing around blockchains and cryptocurrencies for the past few years. We’ve read your feedback and we also see what you see - blockchain tech has both a lot of untapped potential and a lot of work needed before being ready for EVE-scale games.
On that note, we have no plans to add blockchain technology into EVE Online’s global server Tranquility for the foreseeable future. For the coming years, development for Tranquility will focus on building exciting new opportunities on top of the robust foundation that has been laid over the past two decades.
While we remain intrigued by the technology, for us, NFT stands for “Not for Tranquility”. Overall, the EVE IP will continue to push the boundaries of digital economies and virtual worlds - and we will continue to explore that outside of TQ.
Fanfest is a month out and personally, I’m very excited – it’s been two-and-a-half years since our last in-person meet, in London during the EVE World Tour. I look forward to seeing many of you in the flesh again and talk about EVE and our future!
CCP Hellmar
Honestly, I don't know how much to trust the statement. The fiscal quarter ended two weeks ago. I have to ask how much did all the talk of NFTs and selling fitted ships do to EVE subscription and sales rates. One thing I've observed about Hilmar over the 12 years I've played EVE Online. He starts changing his opinions when he starts losing money. When Hilmar stated 11 years ago "where we look at what our players do and less of what they say", he was really talking about how much money players were spending. The next Pearl Abyss earnings call should prove interesting.
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