Happy EVE Is Dying Day - 2025 Edition

Today is a momentous day in the history of EVE Online. On this day in 2003 a user declared for the first time that EVE is dying on the official forums. And since the statement is still on the internet, it must be true.

The first EVE is dying post

In fact, the post was so important to the history of EVE that CCP included a copy of the post in the EVE Online 20th Anniversary Collectors Edition.

Indeed, just looking at the user counts shows the decline of EVE since I wrote my first post about EVE is Dying Day back in 2014. According to EVE-Offline.net the peak concurrent user mark for 2014 was 57,213 compared to the peak so far in 2025 of 38,150. Of course the weekly PCU still averages over 5 times 2003's peak logged in user mark of 6,301 set six weeks before that fateful forum post.

Before EVE finally succumbs to entropy and CCP is forced to shut down the servers I thought I'd pull up some interesting facts.

Number of systems: Back in 2003 EVE launched with approximately 5000 systems in 26 regions. That I believe included Jove space. Today New Eden consists of 7805 reachable systems: 5,431 in known space and 2,604 in wormhole space. Known space consists of 60 regions, 61 if Pochven is included.

Number of ships: In 2003, by my research EVE had 29 ships, including rookie ships/corvettes, divided amongst the four empires. Flash forward to 2025. According to the in-game ship tree (which doesn't include specialty ships like Alliance Tournament prizes), each empire now has 65 flyable ships. The developers have added an additional 81 ships belonging to 13 new NPC factions bringing the total up to 341 ships.

The mysterious other race; Back in 2003 the Jove were the mysterious, technologically superior race. But the Jove left their interests to the Society of Conscious Thought back in 2016. In its place the lore team added the Triglavian Collective, who lives in Pochven.

Somehow EVE has lasted 11 years after I first wrote about the topic. May it last 11 more.

The UK's Online Safety Act Marches Forward

I've spent some time writing about upcoming legislation affecting online video games lately. But a Bellular video reminded me that not all legislation originates in the European Union. Last week the U.K.'s Online Safety Act passed another regulatory milestone on its way to going into full effect sometime in early 2026.

The U.K. government put out an explainer on what the Online Safety Act entails.

The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online. It puts a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms. The Act will give providers new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce risks their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear. 

The strongest protections in the Act have been designed for children. Platforms will be required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise. 

The Act will also protect adult users, ensuring that major platforms will need to be more transparent about which kinds of potentially harmful content they allow, and give people more control over the types of content they want to see. 

Ofcom is the independent regulator of Online Safety. It will set out steps providers can take to fulfil their safety duties in codes of practice. It has a broad range of powers to assess and enforce providers’ compliance with the framework. 

Providers’ safety duties are proportionate to factors including the risk of harm to individuals, and the size and capacity of each provider. This makes sure that while safety measures will need to be put in place across the board, we aren’t requiring small services with limited functionality to take the same actions as the largest corporations. Ofcom is required to take users’ rights into account when setting out steps to take. And providers have simultaneous duties to pay particular regard to users’ rights when fulfilling their safety duties.

According to an article on Eurogamer, the law definitely affects online games and gaming platforms. Among those interviewed was George Osborn, editor of Video Games Industry Memo who was head of campaign and communications at Ukie during the time of bill negotiations.

From today [25 July 2025], any game with user-to-user communication (such as voice or text chat) that's available in the UK will need to follow the law. Broadly, Osborn explains, studios will need moderation tools to remove harmful content, better reporting processes, and measures in place to protect children if a game is accessible to them.

"That's the bare-bones version of the law," Osborn warns. "The reality is that a lawyer will likely tell you that you've got to do a hell of a lot more to meet the provisions of the 300-page act and the many volumes of guidance put out by Ofcom. And given that the regulator can dish out fines of up to £18m or 10 percent of your global turnover, and in some rare cases bang up a senior exec, it is something that you really need good advice on quickly."

He adds: "The only crumb of comfort is that Ofcom is still rolling out the final bits of the act and has said it'll take its time to fully enforce. But with games having historically been a target for moral panics and policymaker madness, you don't want to bet too closely on not being picked up."

As part of my research for this piece Copilot put together a grid summarizing the OSA based on the above mentioned Eurogamer article and an article about Microsoft's upcoming age verification requirements for Xbox users.

A quick summary of video games and the OSA

Despite any original intentions, the OSA apparently will place small indie developers at a disadvantage versus Triple-AAA studios.

However, Osborn states the Act is "far too big for indies who have chat functions to comply with easily".

"Back when it was being passed," he says, "the bill was constantly referred to as a 'Christmas tree' because people kept whacking baubles onto it while it took years and years and years to pass.

"And the result of that is it empowered Big Tech and social media companies, rather than putting a muzzle on them. Yes, there are loads of ways they can be collared now. But because they have big legal teams, great external counsel and policy pros and public affairs agencies lobbying for them, the biggest businesses have been able to pay up for the right advice to adapt their services to meet the rules in advance."

He adds: "But for small businesses including indie game developers who have the misfortune to have things like text and voice chat in their games, following all the rules is really hard." Even with the likes of Modulate and k-ID to assist, it remains hard for small businesses to comply in the short and long term, says Osborn.

The law is not fully in effect. Below is the timeline for passage and enforcement of the act:

• October 2023: Online Safety Act becomes law (Royal Assent). Ofcom begins developing codes; companies start preparing compliance plans.
  
  
• Jan 2024: New individual offenses (cyberflashing, etc.) come into effect.
  
  
• Late 2024: Initial codes of practice (Illegal Content code) laid before Parliament and guidance on illegal content risk assessment published. Ofcom also sets category thresholds via secondary legislation (defining Category 1, 2A, 2B by user numbers).
  
  
• March 2025: Illegal content duties fully in force. By 17 March, all in-scope services must have completed illegal content risk assessments and start implementing measures to mitigate those risks. Ofcom gains enforcement powers on illegal content duties.
  
  
• January 2025 – July 2025: Focus on children’s safety duties. Ofcom issued guidance on age assurance for pornography and on conducting “children’s access assessments” (to determine if a service is likely accessed by children). By April 2025, services had to assess if their platform is likely used by under-18s. Child protection codes of practice were laid in Parliament in April, and by 24 July 2025, any service deemed likely accessed by kids must have completed a detailed child risk assessment. Summer 2025 marks the point at which the child safety regime is in effect, with requirements like age verification for adult content kicking in.
  
  
• Late 2025 – 2026: Ofcom will publish the register of which services fall into Category 1, 2A, 2B (expected in late 2025) and develop further codes for those additional Category 1 duties. By early 2026, we expect new rules on transparency reports and adult user empowerment tools to become operational for the largest platforms. Enforcement activity will ramp up accordingly as all phases of the Act come into play.

So last Friday was just when the aspects of the law affecting children went into effect. "Just" in this case is a bit of an understatement as the measures are rather comprehensive. When all regulations kick in, the U.K.'s effort to regulate the Internet is probably out of reach of reality. In which case the regulators will get to pick and choose who to concentrate their efforts into monitoring. Given history, expect a spotlight to shine on the gaming industry.

The Space Walmart - EVE Online Price Changes in July 2025

Perhaps working nearly 30 years at market research companies has warped my perspective just a bit. But when I read the latest dev blog about the pricing in EVE Online's cash and premium currency stores, my first thought was, "Walmart?"

Omega time and PLEX prices - 30 June 2025

Walmart is known for its "Everyday Low Price" pricing strategy.

EDLP is a pricing strategy where retailers promise consistently low prices without requiring customers to wait for sales or discounts. This strategy simplifies the shopping experience, as consumers can trust that they are receiving a fair price at all times, eliminating the need for comparison shopping or waiting for promotional events. 

The significance of EDLP lies in its ability to foster customer loyalty and streamline operations, as retailers do not need to frequently adjust prices or run elaborate marketing campaigns for sales events.

The EDLP strategy also helps comply with the EU's Digital Fairness Act, an important consideration. The below chart summarizes some of the compliance benefits.

EDLP and the Digital Fairness Act

I will take the points out of order from the presentation in the dev blog and begin with multiple character training. Used to allow training on more than one character on an account, the prices have gone down between 33% to 56% depending on the quantity purchased.

The price drop for multiple character training

A benefit to CCP having removed MCT certificates from the market years ago is the company can offer volume discounts without having to worry much about complying with the DFA. The rounding of prices to the nearest whole dollar (or euro) helps with compliance.

PLEX prices in the cash shop

In contrast, the only change to PLEX prices was to round each package to the nearest dollar. In effect, that raised the price of each package by 1 cent ($0.01). A small change that makes the math easier as a player can buy 20 PLEX for $1. Those who dive deeper into the subject will still want to take the discounted price (in the form of free PLEX) into account, but a price of 5 cents per PLEX makes some of the math later on in this post easier to understand.

The one month subscription package

Next comes the subject of subscriptions, often referred to as Omega time. On approximately 13-14 June CCP added items to the one month subscription package. Players for the past six weeks have received the following items along with their one month of premium game time:

• 100,000 Skill Points 
• Advanced 'Boost' Cerebral Accelerator 
• Basic Glamourex Booster 
• 2 Agency Support Drops 

For the price changes, the $19.99 price of the package was rounded up to $20. For the package I wanted to determine the exact amount of money I paid for game time versus the items. The Advanced 'Boost' Cerebral Accelerator sells for 45 PLEX in the New Eden Store, which is $2.25. While skill points are included in many packages (including for free every week in the NES), no set real world value exists. Finally, the boosters found in the agency support drops are not sold for cash. So for a cautious analysis, one month of game time costs $17.75.

Next up come the multi-month subscription packages. At first glance the pricing seemed absurd. Keeping the pricing for each package the same or slightly lower as well as adding PLEX? Before presenting my thoughts let's look at what CCP had to say in the dev blog.

At the end of June, we tested bundling longer Omega subscriptions with PLEX. The design is inspired by one of the frequently requested features. The experiment was targeted, but we observed solid conversion and got good feedback, so now we’re scaling it up. New bundles will be available globally for two weeks (not through resellers, though), allowing us to gather more data and reactions. 

This is how it compares to the existing Omega options:

Old versus new subscription packages - July 2025

Yes, you read that right — this is not a typo! The prices of new bundles are lower than the old packs, and they also contain PLEX.

This marks another step in moving away from discount-chasing and FOMO cycles. We want to reward longer-term commitment with genuine value, and at the same time, ease pressure on the in-game PLEX float and trading. This will make more of it available to players who play for free, or for things like war funding, ship replacements, and, again, fun. 

The new prices are a result of the continued rounding of  monthly prices to the nearest dollar.

Advanced subscription information

As was noted in the dev blog, the pricing for multi-month subscription packages is undergoing a two-week trial. What happens in two weeks time is anyone's guess. But I was left with one final question. Is making people purchase PLEX in order to enjoy the Omega benefits of a subscription really the solution to the developers issues with the PLEX economy? Players having PLEX is just one element of the equation. Another is actually caring enough to use it.

Quick Thoughts On Final Fantasy XIV's Upcoming Patch 7.3

I'm an unusual type of MMORPG player. I don't really get excited for major patches. Because I spend so little time playing compared to a lot of other players. Also, not having a lot of real life combat skill leads me in different directions than the majority of the player base. Final Fantasy XIV's patch 7.3 for the Dawntrail expansion is just the latest example.

The above trailer almost inspires me to finish the last trial in patch 7.2, Recollection. But honesty compels me to admit patch 7.3 finishes the Dawntrail story. Admittedly I'm really hoping the story will place Wut Lamak in the rear view mirror and make Sphene a regular member of the rotating Scions cast. Yes, I really do want to have the ability to choose both Graha T'ia and Sphene as Trust characters in future expansions.

One bit of content I am excited about is the next installment in Cosmic Explorations, Phaenna. The screenshots on the special site look pretty good. I'm hoping we can earn a hoverboard mount on the first planet we explore. Also, the idea of upgrading all my crafting and gathering tools fills me with a lot of happy thoughts.

I know a lot of players are excited by the new deep dungeon, Pilgrim's Traverse, coming in patch 7.35. But I never got into deep dungeons, possibly because I only played white mage seriously for my first few years playing FFXIV. If I have to run through Palace of the Dead to get to content, I'm not doing the content. 

What I am excited about coming in patch 7.35 is the new alliance society, the Yok Huy. I liked that section of the main story questline and look forward to revisiting Urqopacha and learning more about the tribe. Some of the tribe's beliefs influenced the main story and I'd like to explore more of the difference of the Yok Huy and Alexandrians.

I have two other things I'm looking forward to. The first is the next installment of the adventures of Hildibrand. When doing the quests my character runs around in a cosplay of Nashu. I'd really like the detective outfit but I know that probably won't become available until the end of the questline in patch 7.5.

The other thing I'm looking forward to is chat bubbles. That's right, the developers have finally cut through all the spaghetti code and have unlocked chat bubbles. Just remember, Yoshi-P decided the feature should be turned off by default, so the first thing I may do is adjust my settings.

On top of all of the above I still have so much to do. But for the next couple of weeks I'll have to prepare for the coming of patch 7.3 on the fifth of August.

A Second PLEX-Related Sale Pops Up In EVE Online

I woke up Thursday morning to news in EVE Online of another sale involving PLEX that will affect the new global PLEX market. The new sale comes not from the cash shop but the New Eden Store which uses PLEX as its currency.

Ambitious capsuleers,

Now’s your chance to upgrade to Omega for less. Until 31 July, grab 1 month of Omega at 15% off (425 PLEX) or 3 months at 10% off (360 PLEX/month) available for a limited time, only in the New Eden Store.

Of course my first thought was, "Did CCP open the door for a pay for two months of game time, get one month free?" Not quite.

The PLEX sale - 19-26 July 2025

In a nice piece of FOMO marketing, between downtime on Thursday and downtime on Saturday players have a chance to save $7 on three months of Omega time by purchasing the 1000 PLEX package on sale for 20% off and then buying the 100 PLEX package for an additional $4.99, leaving an extra 20 PLEX in the player's PLEX wallet. Or if the player already has 80 PLEX on the account, then spending $35.99 results in three months of premium game time.

I find the situation a bit ironic that one of the stated reasons for instituting the global PLEX market is to reduce friction in using PLEX.

PLEX plays a foundational role in this system. But over time, as discussed in a previous blog, its function has drifted. It’s increasingly treated as a long-term investment or speculative asset, rather than a flexible, fluid currency meant to empower player choice. That dynamic distorts pricing, limits access, and creates artificial scarcity that benefits a few at the expense of many. 

We’re committed to fixing that, without resorting to harsh measures like inventory taxes, price hikes, or product removals. Instead, we're focused on system-level changes that move us closer to a healthy, fair market equilibrium. 

Yet, if sales practices like the current one continue, players will have an incentive to buy PLEX during sales and keep 100-200 PLEX around in case an opportunity like the one open on Thursday and Friday pops up.

The current set of sales began on 19 July

The global PLEX market does help evaluate the effect of CCP's sales on the market. For this wave, first CCP holds a sale that results in cheap PLEX entering the market. From 18 July to early this morning the number of sell orders on the market increased from 131 orders containing 194, 000 PLEX to 213 orders containing 390,000 PLEX. That looks more like people unable to sell PLEX rather than hoarding the RMT tokens.

The new sale that started today will drain PLEX off the market. By how much? That's why I have to keep developing tools. So I can answer questions like that without too much manual effort.

A Quick Look At The Second Week Of EVE Online's Global PLEX Market

With two weeks in the books, I decided to work on my tools and take another look at EVE Online's new global PLEX market. I think seeing an official RMT market in the game is of interest to some folks. But last weekend CCP Games threw in a twist: a 20% off PLEX sale. What did that do to the market?

First, a new combo chart displaying the average price of one PLEX each day since the market opened and the volume of PLEX sold each day. The chart shows both the decline in the price of PLEX over the weekend as well as the increased volume. Prior to the sale, the ISK cost per PLEX was already drifting downward from a little over 6 million ISK on the day the market launched. A summary of each day's trading.

• July 19: price per PLEX drops about 2.5% to ~5.85 million ISK as discounted PLEX floods the market.
• July 20: hits its low near 5.82 million ISK amid peak volume of 1.8 million PLEX.
• July 21: rises to around 5.9 M ISK, indicating sustained supply pressure.

The sale emphasized a natural dip in price that occurs on the weekends with higher player numbers logged onto Tranquility. One can see a much smaller decline on 12-13 July. Since the sale runs for a full week I'll be interested to see what the market activity looks like both the weeks before and after the sale.

The above chart shows the effects on the real world value of one billion ISK. The value peaked on Sunday at $7.72 per billion ISK. Of course, due to the sale, those with freshly purchased PLEX were actually paying an effective rate of $6.18 per billion ISK. A much lese expensive purchase than the average price of $7.56 per billion ISK on Friday.

An interesting statistic to possibly look at in the next week or two is the amount of PLEX up for sale in sell orders. The developers are attempting to get players to use their PLEX so looking for increases might help determine if CCP is achieving that objective. I have created files with the information from the market interface manually so far, but I would really like to generate the data automatically, or at least with a couple of mouse clicks without having to log into the game. But for now, I hopefully have given a useful glimpse into CCP's latest initiative.

Predicting The Future Of EVE Online's Global PLEX Market

When I first started looking into regulations surrounding online games I actually thought about EVE Frontier. I figure a non-zero chance exists that government regulations concerning crypto-currencies will prevent the game from ever seeing a commercial launch. Then, an unusual event occurred: the creation of a global PLEX market. While CCP Games has publicly stated the EVE Online and EVE Frontier development teams are kept completely separate, I pretty sure the same corporate lawyers serve both games. So when the global PLEX market was announced, I decided to see if some of the proposed regulations that would affect Frontier would also apply to Online.

The result of the research was a 2600 word report from Copilot that I edited, added a couple of things to, and published last week. But where the New Eden economy is concerned looking backward is only valuable if the history accurately informs predictions for future developments. Today's post is an effort to look forward 12-18 months to predict what a more finished form of the global PLEX market will look like, keeping in mind upcoming governmental regulations like the European Union's Digital Fairness Act.

First, I needed to come up with a description describing the purpose of the global PLEX market. I found one in an EU working paper published in October 2024: the mixed pot.  The mixed pot model involves a single in-game currency like ISK that players can either earn through gameplay or buy outright with real money. Under this design, no technical distinction exists between "earned" and "purchased" units of currency once they’ve entered a player’s balance—hence all tokens sit in one shared "pot."

The mixed pot model has three key characteristics I think most EVE players would consider features:

• Uniform utility: Whether a token was earned or bought, it grants the same access—to items, boosts, entry fees, etc.
  
  
• Dual accrual paths: Players who invest time can accumulate currency via quests, achievements, or play-to-earn loops, while others may skip the gameplay via direct purchase with real world currency.
  
  
• Seamless interchange: Games often allow conversion between earned/purchased tokens at a fixed or dynamic rate, or simply don’t distinguish them at redemption.

As expected, though, the EU regulators who put the document together have different ideas. Here are four areas of concern.

• Value opacity: Players can’t easily tell how much “free” play is actually worth. If this seems weird, I think so too. I believe the regulators would like CCP to change the wallet UI to hold how much ISK a player has earned in-game verses that purchased on the market.
  
  
• Fairness concerns: If paid tokens speed progression or confer exclusive perks, it risks turning skill-based systems into pay-to-win scenarios—running afoul of “fairness by design” principles.
  
  
• Refund complexity: When consumers request refunds, providers struggle to identify which tokens originated from purchases versus gameplay, complicating chargebacks and consumer rights enforcement. This goes back to the split of in-game money mentioned in the first point.
  
  
• Financial safeguards: If mixed-pot tokens fuel chance-based mechanics such as Hyper cores or Abyssal Mutaplasmids, they may trigger gambling or e-money regulations in some jurisdictions.

Next comes the predictions. Some of these don't require trying to adhere to regulations coming out of Brussels.

The NPC operator of the market - As the rules of the global PLEX market differ from all other markets, the market needs additional lore. The obvious operators? InterBus. I'm sure the developers can come up with a name with a slick acronym.

Direct link from the New Eden Store - Just as the New Eden Store has a direct link from the Paragon Hub, so too will the global PLEX market.

Button on the NeoCom - As a revenue source, the global PLEX market will have its own button on the NeoCom to make access easier. Also to differentiate the market from the rest of the markets that only exchange in-game items.

Elimination of all taxes and fees - I believe the introductory dev blog alluded to the possibility, but in the interest of making all transactions involving PLEX as simple as possible, all taxes and fees will be removed.

Removal of PLEX from all contracts - With no taxes or fees and a single market, the only other way to vary the price of PLEX is in contracts. Removing the ability to trade PLEX via contract makes the transactions as easy and transparent as possible.

Display of real world currency equivalents - Reading the proposed regulations I see no way that the developers do not at least display a dollar/euro/pound/yen conversion of the price of 1 billion ISK. I see a minimum of three places the real world value will be displayed. First is the value of the cheapest buy order. Next is the value of the cheapest sell order. And finally on the confirmation box when asked "Are you sure you want to make this transaction?"

Keeping track of PLEX for ISK transactions - Honestly, I don't see a way of enforcing refunds for trades between players. But I do think a requirement to show players how much real money they spend will be met.

I think in the next year or so regulations out of the EU will affect the online video game industry. From lootboxes to virtual currency sales a lot of companies will need to alter their business practices. But EVE Online and CCP Games won't walk away unscathed. The only question is what EVE will look like once the fallout settles down. Hopefully my predictions are not totally off-base.

EVE Online's Global PLEX Market And The EU's Digital Fairness Act

EVE Online’s new Global PLEX Market (launched 7 July 2025) is a major change to how players trade PLEX, the game’s premium currency. This update unified all PLEX trading into a single in-game region where all PLEX orders are visible and accessible to every player regardless of location. The dev blog announcing the new market gave a lot of reasons for making the change to the system. The biggest factor, in my opinion, was not mentioned: upcoming real-world government regulation.

The European Union’s proposed Digital Fairness Act (DFA) aims to make digital markets fairer and more transparent for consumers. It builds on consumer protection principles that call for transparent pricing, fair virtual currency systems, and strong consumer protection measures in online games. This post examines how the global PLEX market aligns with these DFA principles and identifies additional steps CCP Games may need to take for full compliance.

Transparency in Pricing

One key DFA principle is clear and transparent pricing for digital goods. EU consumer regulators insist that games display prices in real-world money alongside any in-game currency price. The intention of the requirement is to ensure players know the actual cost of items and are not misled by virtual currency conversions. The global PLEX market takes a step toward pricing transparency by making PLEX prices uniform and visible game-wide. Previously, PLEX (used to buy game time or skins) could have different prices in different regions of EVE’s universe; for example, it was more expensive to buy in remote areas and cheaper in trade hubs. Now, with a single global market, all PLEX trades are pooled together and visible to everyone. A player in any location now sees the same market price for PLEX as everyone else, improving transparency and preventing hidden regional markups. New players are less likely to unknowingly overpay for PLEX in an isolated area because they automatically access the global rate. In essence, CCP’s unified market creates a level playing field for PLEX pricing, an approach that aligns with DFA’s goal of price transparency and informed consumer choice.

However, full transparency under the DFA also means displaying real-money equivalents for virtual currency prices. To truly comply, CCP will need to indicate what in-game PLEX prices translate to in Euros or Dollars for EU customers. Currently, the New Eden Store, EVE's in-game store, lists items in PLEX terms only. The new guidelines expect companies to reveal “how much their digital currency costs in real-world money” to enable players to make informed decisions. For example, if a ship SKIN costs 250 PLEX, the game should also display (for instance) “≈€10” alongside it, based on PLEX’s purchase rate. The Global PLEX Market by itself doesn’t add this feature, so CCP may need to update the UI to show real-money values to fully meet DFA transparency requirements. EU regulators will look upon the consolidation of PLEX trading as a positive stride – making pricing data universally visible and accessible – but further interface changes will ensure compliance with the DFA’s strict transparency standards.

Fair Virtual Currency Systems

The DFA and EU consumer authorities also emphasize fairness in virtual currency systems, targeting practices that coerce or confuse players financially. The EU's Consumer Protection Cooperation Network guidance advises that games should avoid multiple currency conversions, prevent “forced” purchases of excess currency, and allow players to buy only as much currency as they need. EVE’s global PLEX market supports a fairer system by improving how PLEX – a real-money-purchasable currency – functions within the economy. Several changes brought by the global market promote fairness:

• Unified Access and Pricing: Players can buy or sell PLEX from anywhere, without needing to physically move items or be in a specific region. This eliminates regional price disparities where a few traders could charge higher prices in isolated markets. Now everyone faces the same supply and demand, which leads to a fairer market equilibrium for PLEX prices. In fact, with all sellers competing in one pool, PLEX prices may drop to a fairer level for consumers (early results showed sellers now compete galaxy-wide, likely making PLEX cheaper in formerly overpriced areas). Equal access means no player is at a disadvantage due to location, aligning with fairness principles.
  
  
• Reduced Speculation and Hoarding: CCP noted that PLEX had been treated as a speculative asset, with few wealthy players (“whales”) hoarding PLEX to drive up its value, creating artificial scarcity that benefits a few at the expense of many. The new global market makes such manipulation harder. With greater liquidity and a single market, hoarders can no longer corner a local market or hide PLEX away to spike prices, as all orders are visible globally. This dampens extreme price swings and prevents a small group from unfairly profiting off scarcity. By flattening out prices across all regions, CCP is ensuring PLEX remains a stable currency for everyone, not an investment vehicle for speculators. This system-level change supports a fairer balance between regular players and market manipulators.
  
  
• Frictionless, Small Transactions: The global market’s “friction-free” approach (no hauling or regional barriers) means players can more easily trade even small quantities of PLEX at fair rates. In the past, a player who only needed a few PLEX might be forced to buy a larger bundle or travel to find a seller. Now any amount of PLEX – even a single unit – can be bought or sold instantly on the unified exchange. This resonates with the DFA principle that players should not be forced to buy more virtual currency than they need. While PLEX is still sold by CCP in preset packages outside the game, the in-game market at least enables fine-grained transactions between players. A new player who needs, say, 50 PLEX for a small purchase can obtain exactly 50 via the market, rather than overspending on a bigger pack. This flexibility contributes to a fairer virtual currency experience, letting consumers trade precisely what they want.

Overall, the global PLEX market advances fairness by making the currency system more user-centric and less exploitable. The market removes opaque practices (like multi-hop currency exchanges or hidden regional markups) that can potentially confuse players about costs. The developers effectively acted as a “central bank” by reforming PLEX’s role to serve players’ needs rather than speculators’ profits. Well, at least in theory.

The establishment of the global PLEX market aligns strongly with DFA objectives to eliminate unfair or deceptive monetization patterns. That said, the developers probably need to take additional steps to fully satisfy EU expectations – for instance, CCP may consider selling PLEX in more flexible increments (or enabling direct purchases of items with cash) so that players aren’t forced into buying large bundles that leave unused leftovers. The global PLEX market lays the groundwork for fairness, and with a few more adjustments -- like the removal of all fees and taxes --, EVE’s virtual currency system may wind up in excellent compliance with the DFA’s fairness standards.

Consumer Protection and Player Rights

Beyond pricing and currency mechanics, the Digital Fairness Act focuses on general consumer protection, ensuring players’ rights are respected and vulnerable users not exploited. The EU’s guidance on in-game currencies includes measures like: providing clear pre-purchase information, honoring a 14-day right of withdrawal (refund) for unused virtual currency, using plain language in terms, and protecting minors from predatory design. Implementing the global PLEX market demonstrates CCP’s intent to create a safer and more equitable environment for its players, which supports several consumer protection goals:

• Informed Purchases: The move toward a single PLEX price across New Eden means players can more easily understand the value of PLEX and make informed decisions. The global PLEX market removes the “cognitive overload” of checking multiple regions or worrying about hidden costs, assuming taxes and fees are not hidden costs. When combined with transparent pricing displays, the move will let consumers clearly judge the real-world expense of any in-game purchase. CCP’s communication around the change also highlighted its purpose in improving access and reducing uncertainty in the economy. This kind of clarity is exactly what EU regulators want – that players fully understand what they are buying and for how much, without fine-print surprises.
  
  
• Safer Transactions: By eliminating the need to transport PLEX physically (since all trades settle directly to the secure PLEX Vault), CCP has reduced a risk factor that could hurt unsuspecting consumers. In the past, players who didn’t know better might undock with PLEX in their cargo to move it, only to lose real-money value if destroyed by pirates. The global market ensures no hauling is needed for PLEX trades, meaning players (especially newer ones) are far less likely to lose purchased currency due to game mechanics. This change protects players’ investments in the game and demonstrates a duty of care for consumer assets, aligning with broader consumer protection values.
  
  
• Monitoring and Stability: CCP, in its role of EVE's janitors, has taken on a proactive regulatory role in their in-game economy, akin to protecting consumers from market abuses. They are closely monitoring the new PLEX market’s rollout and player feedback, ready to adjust it for any unintended outcomes. This vigilance is part of protecting the player base: by watching for volatility or abuse, CCP can intervene to maintain a fair environment (for example, if any new exploit or unfair trend emerges). Such oversight is in spirit with the DFA’s aim to ensure ongoing fairness and accountability in digital services. While an expected practice in a reputable online game, such actions show to EU regulators CCP’s commitment to “user-centric” practices – a focus the EU encourages as an opportunity for businesses to build consumer trust.

While the global PLEX market contributes positively to consumer protection, CCP will need to implement additional measures to fully comply with emerging EU rules. For instance, under EU law, players should have the right to a refund on unused digital currency within 14 days of purchase. CCP’s policies on PLEX refunds may require updating so that an EU customer who buys PLEX and doesn’t spend it can exercise this withdrawal right easily. Similarly, terms of service and purchase agreements for PLEX should be reviewed to ensure they are written in clear, fair language and don’t strip consumers of statutory rights. Another important aspect is protecting minors and vulnerable players: EVE Online is a complex game usually played by adults, but it should still safeguard younger players from overspending or aggressive marketing. The DFA is likely to require stronger parental controls and default spending limits for minors. CCP might consider implementing account-level spending limits or parental approval mechanisms for purchases, to demonstrate compliance with protecting vulnerable users. By supplementing the global PLEX market with these consumer-rights measures, CCP would not only obey the letter of the DFA but also foster greater trust and safety in its community.

The Digital Fairness Act will only apply to citizens of the European Union. But to make the company's internal processes easier (and avoid complaints of favoritism from non-EU players) I expect CCP to extend these protections to all players in any revised End User License Agreement and Terms of Service.

Additional Measures Needed for Full DFA Compliance

The introduction of the global PLEX market advanced EVE Online towards DFA alignment, but further steps will ensure full compliance with the EU’s digital consumer protection standards. Key additional measures CCP should implement include:

• Real Currency Price Display: Show the real-world money equivalent for PLEX and PLEX-priced items in the New Eden Store. This transparency is a core DFA principle. For example, if 500 PLEX costs $19.99, and a ship skin costs 250 PLEX, the interface should also display approximately “$10” for that skin. Displaying Euro/Dollar values next to PLEX prices will meet the DFA’s demand to inform players of true costs.
  
  
• Flexible Purchase Options: Allow players to buy PLEX in exact amounts needed (or offer direct real-money purchases for specific items as an alternative). The EU guidance cautions against forcing consumers to spend more on bundled currency than necessary. To comply, CCP could enable purchasing custom PLEX quantities (instead of only selling preset packages that can lead to leftover balance). This ensures players don’t have to overspend or hold unwanted virtual currency. Or spend the unused PLEX on unwanted items like additional ISK on the global market.
  
  
• Refund and Withdrawal Rights: Update policies to honor the 14-day right of withdrawal for digital purchases. If an EU player buys PLEX and hasn’t used it, they should be informed of their right to a refund within 14 days. Implementing a straightforward refund process for unused PLEX (and clearly communicating it at purchase time) will align with the Consumer Rights Directive obligations. This gives consumers confidence that they can change their mind, a crucial protection under the DFA.
  
  
• Clear Communication and Terms: Review and rewrite any terms of service or purchase agreements related to PLEX in plain language. All conditions (such as how PLEX can be used, expiration (if any), refund eligibility, etc.) should be clearly stated without legalese. Ensuring that players fully understand their rights and obligations removes any unfair contract terms, as required by EU law. Additionally, CCP should continue to communicate market changes transparently. (Notably, during the PLEX market launch some players felt communication was lacking; going forward, clear upfront communication will be essential for fairness.)
  
  
• Parental Controls and Safeguards: Although EVE’s audience is largely adult, CCP should still implement protections for minors and others prone to overspending. This could include optional account spending limits, robust parental control settings for in-game purchases, and avoiding any marketing of PLEX that targets vulnerable groups. The DFA will push for “fairness by design” – taking user vulnerabilities into account at the design stage. By designing the monetization system with safety checks (e.g. requiring additional confirmation for large PLEX purchases or enabling parents to disable purchases on youth accounts), CCP can demonstrate compliance with the spirit of these rules.

Summary: DFA Principles vs. Global PLEX Market

DFA Principles addressed by the Global PLEX market

By implementing the global PLEX market, CCP has proactively moved toward the “fairer and more transparent digital environment” envisioned by the DFA. The unified market directly tackles issues of price opacity and unfair currency practices in EVE Online’s economy. It creates a more transparent pricing model, a fair one-currency system free of regional exploitation, and it reflects a commitment to protecting players’ interests in the game. While some compliance steps remain – such as displaying real-world prices and formalizing consumer rights – CCP’s actions thus far indicate a readiness to meet the DFA’s requirements. In summary, the new global PLEX market strongly supports key digital fairness principles, and with a few additional measures, CCP will be well-aligned with the EU’s upcoming Digital Fairness Act in both letter and spirit. 

A Quick Look At The First Week Of EVE Online's Global PLEX Market

Last week CCP Games instituted a single market for PLEX in EVE Online. Last week I gave my initial thoughts on the move. Further research into the topic has sparked a renewal of interest into the topic of the New Eden economy. The first product of that renewal is a quick look into the first week of the global PLEX market.

The first eight days of the global market

I created a combination chart showing the volume of PLEX traded so far along with the price of one billion ISK in U.S. dollars. As usual, I've used the price of purchasing 2 months of game time (1000 PLEX) to keep the pricing comparable to that before creation of mini-PLEX in March 2017. I've also included the real world value of ISK in acknowledgement of the European Union's proposed Digital Fairness Act (DFA), expected to become law in mid- to late 2026.

I'm currently busy trying to teach Copilot about the New Eden economy at the same time the AI program helps me with coding in Python. Copilot made the following observations about the first week of the global PLEX market.

Launch & Restock Dynamics - Players had to restock from scratch on July 7—no legacy orders carried over. That initial day shows a cautious volume (~0.6 M PLEX) as people relisted, establishing a fresh baseline before the weekend rush.

Weekend & Login Dynamics - Trading volume builds through Friday, then jumps to ~1.1 M PLEX on Saturday and remains high (~1.0 M) on Sunday. Sunday’s strength is amplified by the fact that it’s the peak login day for players, driving both liquidity and heightened market activity.

Price Behavior Under Supply Shock - Under low supply conditions post-restock, the USD value of ISK climbs from ~$7.50 on July 7 to ~$7.58 by Saturday. After the weekend’s pent-up demand and peak logins, price retreats slightly to ~$7.56, indicating that both supply replenishment and player presence jointly steer volatility.

I'll add that the last point is possibly a hole in Copilot's knowledge of the New Eden economy as a rising real world value reflects a sinking ISK value of PLEX. The lower the value of PLEX, the more players need to purchase in order to get the ISK they desire. Unless, of course, players actually place more importance on the real world value of ISK when trading in the global PLEX market. Something to consider as the global PLEX market matures.

I should also add that the global PLEX market does not reflect PLEX traded through contracts. The contract system is often used by big traders to circumvent taxes and fees incurred from using the market. As passage of the Digital Fairness Act gets closer I expect those ISK sinks to disappear. But that's a topic for another post.

A Look At The Active ISK Delta In June 2025

On Wednesday CCP Games published the June monthly economic report (MER) for EVE Online's Tranquility shard. Before taking a look at the Active ISK Delta for last month I'd like to point out the events and trends developers considered most noteworthy in the economy.

Economic Summary

• Production value has declined to levels last seen in April. A similar downward trend is visible in Mining value, which has now reached its lowest point this year.
• All top four sink categories have returned to the levels recorded prior to May.
• We may be seeing the first signs of MPI stabilization - it recorded a modest increase of 1.01% compared to May, marking the first uptick since the major update in March.

With the general housekeeping out of the way we can now take a look back not only last month but last quarter.

Jester's average concurrent user chart

First, the summer slump wasn't held off by the Legion expansion. Launching at the end of May, concurrency peaked in early June before falling around 15% by the end of the month. For the quarter concurrency was down a few hundred users compared to the beginning of April.

Comparing the past 8 Junes

For the month, EVE continued the trend of having above average Active ISK Delta values in the month of June. The Active ISK Delta is the net effect on the money supply of players leaving and returning to the game, including all GM actions. The actual ISK removed through these movements last month was 760 billion ISK, which in an economy with over 2,500 trillion ISK rounds to zero percent. 

Quarterly results

For the quarter the Active ISK Delta was positive for the fourth time in 7 1/2 years. As a percentage of the money supply only Q4 2023 and the Havoc expansion added a higher percentage of ISK than the 1.6% added in Legion and the accompanying major null sec war in the second quarter of 2025.

Most ISK removed in a month

What should an observer expect to see in July? Last July player movement into and out of the game resulted in 6.3% of the money supply leaving the game. I would not be surprised if that amount were not surpassed this year. After all, the ACU fell by over 15% in June. The summer slump is a real thing and might set up the conditions for a new record.

The Silver Lining In The Latest Star Citizen Cheating Scandal

Want to know the best evidence yet Star Citizen is not a scam? The recent explosion in complaints about hacks, not bugs & exploits, powering cheating in the game. Cloud Imperium addressed the situation on Tuesday.

An Update on Cheating and Exploiting

Hi everyone,

We've observed a recent increase in exploits and cheating in-game and want to acknowledge everyone who's taken the time to report these issues. It's genuinely appreciated.

Historically, we’ve taken a more relaxed approach to third-party tools. This was intentional, allowing space for community-driven efforts like localization, VR integrations, and other creative contributions. However, with our growing player base and increased engagement, we’ve reached a new threshold — one where exploiters see greater opportunity in targeting the game. In response to the recent spike in abuse, we’ll be tightening our anti-cheat measures to better protect both the integrity of the game and the experience for the broader community that continues to shape it.

While we won’t be sharing specifics, we want to reassure you that recent updates have already made a substantial impact. We’ve also issued a large wave of account bans and will continue to take enforcement actions as needed.

To be clear: exploiting or cheating is strictly against our terms, regardless of intent or the current stage of development. We understand some users may be experimenting, acting out of curiosity, or believe they’re helping expose issues — but even these actions can be disruptive and damaging to the game. This behavior can lead to serious consequences, up to and including permanent account closure.

We’ll continue monitoring the situation and taking whatever steps are necessary to ensure fair play. Thanks again for continuing to report issues as they arise.

Sure, players will always try to develop hacks for games, especially first person shooters. But the efforts in Star Citizen, from all accounts, are becoming more sophisticated. One video making its way around Reddit is pretty concerning. I won't link directly to the site but will post the description from the video.

About Our Star Citizen Cheats and Hacks

Elevate your Star Citizen journey with our cheats. Designed for both veteran pilots and newcomers, this hack offers an unmatched suite of features that provide tactical advantages, seamless customization, and unparalleled control. From tracking critical game elements to bending the rules of physics, our tool empowers you to dominate the stars with confidence and precision.

Our ESP system is the cornerstone of your tactical dominance. Gain real time insights into players, ships, and objects with features like player names, distances, and health tracking. Visualize skeletons for precise targeting, spot lasers, and locate dead players for scavenging or rescue. Whether it’s tracking hostiles, NPCs, or mineable resources, the ESP suite ensures you’re always one step ahead, with critical information like shop locations, MedBeds, and cargo grids at your fingertips.

The ESP capabilities extend to every corner of the Star Citizen universe, enhancing your interaction with the environment. Identify containers for loot, track ships for combat or alliances, and pinpoint pilot seats or turrets for strategic control. Need to manage cargo or find specific items? Our cargo search and item highlighting features streamline your operations, while mineables and shops are easily located, making resource gathering and trading a breeze.

Beyond ESP, our tool offers a robust set of miscellaneous features to customize and amplify your gameplay. Tailor your experience with custom colors, a dynamic crosshair, and personalized keybinds for quick access. Navigate effortlessly with a waypoint system or teleport instantly to players or ships. For those seeking an edge, features like Super Thrust, Rapid Fire, and Unlimited Clip push your ship and weapons beyond standard limits, while No Overheat, No Recoil, and No Spread ensure flawless performance in combat.

Take control of the universe with game changing mechanics like Instant Spooling, Instant Calibration, and No QDrive Cooldown for seamless quantum travel. Defy physics with No G-Forces, No Player Collision Damage, and No Clip to move freely through any obstacle. Carry limitless gear with Unlimited Weight, hover with No Fall, or dominate with OPK. Features like Attach To and Tele To further enhance your ability to track and reach targets instantly, giving you ultimate freedom.

Our Star Citizen enhancement tool is your key to unlocking the full potential of the game, blending power, precision, and personalization. With an intuitive interface, regular updates, and a focus on performance, it’s built to keep you ahead in the ever evolving universe. Explore without boundaries, conquer with ease, and leave your mark among the stars.

Why choose us? We’re not just about winning; we’re about winning your way. Customize your settings, lock onto targets effortlessly, and watch your stats soar. Ready to take your games to the next level? Grab the Star Citizen cheats and claim your spot as the undisputed king of the kill.

Apparently sophisticated cheating software like the one described above runs $50/month. Given that EVE Online bot makers charged $15/month, the price of an EVE subscription, during the 2010s the Star Citizen cheat software price sounds about right. After all, entry into Star Citizen costs $45 for a package with a starter ship.

The latest cheating scandal reminded me of this clip from Greg Hoglund talking about EVE in 2007.

Hoglund, the founder of HBGary, an acknowledged expert on WoW's Warden anti-cheat software, and author of a bunch of security books, described the susceptibility of EVE to hackers over 15 years able  in the video below is from when he was promoting his book, Exploiting Online Games: Cheating Massively Distributed Systems, back in 2007.

While Star Citizen seems wide open to professional hackers, the presence of those hackers in one way is a good sign for the game. After all, those types of people are looking to make real money, even if it is only real money as compared to Eastern Europe or East Asian standards. If Star Citizen truly were a scam, they wouldn't waste their time. They'd go someplace where they could make more money.

Experimenting With Blue Mage In The Moogle Treasure Trove Event

With patch 7.3 a month away in Final Fantasy XIV's Dawntrail expansion Square Enix launched another Moogle Treasure Trove event yesterday. I plan on participating more in the lead up to patch 7.3 than I have recently due to two factors: prizes and experimenting with the Blue Mage limited job.

For the current event I have a list of six items I'm interested in obtaining:

• Ruby Gwiber Trumpet (mount) - 50 irregular tomestones
• Ironfrog Mover Ignition Key (mount) - 50 irregular tomestones
• Modern Aesthetics - Gyr Abanian Plait - 50 irregular tomestones
• Ephemeral Necromancer (minion) - 50 irregular tomestones
• Ballroom Etiquette - Overzealous Affirmation - 30 irregular tomestones
• Toro-jiro (minion) - 7 irregular tomestones

The Ruby Gwiber is a wurm/dragon while the Ironfrog Mover reminds me of a cute segment of the main story questine so those are my initial targets. Overall I need to acquire 237 tomestones. Usually I wouldn't even think a acquiring that many. But in addition to some of the regular goals like performing society requests and fishing, I'm going to try to put my newly learned Blue Mage skills to the test.

I had heard through the years the power of the Blue Mage in Moogle Treasure Trove events. At this point I've completed the level 50 stages of The Masked Carnivale so I'm at least familiar with the limited job. Unfortunately I don't have the full kit of dungeon running spells. Which is where the current Moogle event enters the picture.

Normally when running lower level dungeons solo I don't use level sync. I just want the drops and all the Grand Company seals they generate to power my army of retainers. But now I have two additional reason for using level sync. First, when Blue Mages run a dungeon with the option turned on learning spells from NPCs occurs 100% of the time. The second is more relevant to the event. The only way a Blue Mage can earn the irregular tomestones, whether playing solo or in a pre-made group, is if level sync is turned on.

So, for example, I still need to learn Aetheric Mimicry, a core Blue Mage spell for running dungeons. The spell drops from the first boss in Pharos Sirius (Hard). So if I make one successful run of Pharos Sirius (Hard), I'll get Aetheric Mimicry, 4 irregular tomestones, and whatever drops to convert into seals.

The weekly objective gives a bit of a bonus this week. I've wanted to do Castrum Meridianum just in general. Not only does the duty give 4 tomestones but the weekly objective reward adds in 20 more. Hopefully next week's objective is The Praetorium, which gives out 7 tomestones.

Teams of Blue Mages can make short work of a dungeon, so I'm sure one will emerge as the most efficient one to run. But I have the feeling the tomestones will roll in as I work to get all the spells I'm missing. At least, I hope so.

Possible Cash Flow Issues At The Launch Of EVE Online's Global PLEX Market

When I woke up this morning I immediately logged into EVE Online to look at the new global PLEX market.

Three hours into the global PLEX market

By the end of the day I expect the market to return to normal. Three hours in and I already saw someone setting up a firewall at 6.3 million ISK. But I did see a slight difference between the messaging I saw concerning existing PLEX orders when the servers came back up this morning.

On Friday, the message went out today was the day CCP would implement the global PLEX market. 

Once the system launches on Tranquility, all existing PLEX orders will be cancelled and fees reimbursed. Location based tax and structure rules remain unchanged for now. 

Sure, players would have to repost their orders but I think everyone expected something like that. But when I read the patch notes this morning I spotted a slight difference.

All outstanding PLEX orders were cancelled, and fees will be reimbursed within a few days. [emphasis mine]

Look, I understand. The developers needed to warn everyone about the change ahead of time so people could report their orders so the market operated with as little disruption as possible. At the same time, CCP couldn't warn people about the delay in returning fees to avoid causing a disruption in the PLEX market over a holiday weekend in the U.S. After all, a not insignificant number of buyers and sellers might cancel their orders to avoid the delay in getting all their ISK back. 

Just remember that when changes like this occur that the developers might not give players all the information they might like ahead of time. I think veteran players understand. Newer players may not.

The Global PLEX Market Arriving On July 7

Today CCP took the unusual step of creating one giant market for the sale of PLEX in EVE Online. 

On 7 July, the global PLEX market launches, introducing a unified market region for PLEX accessible from (almost) anywhere in space. All PLEX trades will be pooled into one unified market, with purchases still delivered to your Vault. No friction, no travel, just pure liquidity...

Once the system launches on Tranquility, all existing PLEX orders will be cancelled and fees reimbursed. Location based tax and structure rules remain unchanged for now.

From following the information about the PLEX market published by the developer, one would think some things changed for the worse recently, of which the creation of a single global market is part of the solution to the issues.

PLEX plays a foundational role in this system. But over time, as discussed in a previous blog, its function has drifted. It’s increasingly treated as a long-term investment or speculative asset, rather than a flexible, fluid currency meant to empower player choice. That dynamic distorts pricing, limits access, and creates artificial scarcity that benefits a few at the expense of many. 

We’re committed to fixing that, without resorting to harsh measures like inventory taxes, price hikes, or product removals. Instead, we're focused on system-level changes that move us closer to a healthy, fair market equilibrium. [emphasis mine]

That claim of players only recently treating PLEX as a long-term investment or speculative asset is a recent phenomenon, followed by thinly veiled threats, just doesn't sit right with me. 

I could turn to some of the price indicies updates from 2011 to show such activity as existed since the creation of PLEX. In July 2011, the economic data team reported on speculative trading in PLEX in response to a dev blog. But perhaps my favorite report from the era came on the two year anniversary of the creation of PLEX for November 2011.

PLEX prices rise by 13% from October to November, having risen by 7.9% the month before.  At its peak on November 15, the daily average reached 498 million ISK, which is an all-time high.  The spike may have been driven by speculation, with the rising price convincing more and more people to keep their stock or add to it.  In the end, the Crucible expansion burst the bubble as many sought to fund their purchases of  newly introduced items through PLEX sales, thus significantly increasing PLEX supply.  This dropped the price by 10% from November 28 to December 1.

But perhaps the most meaty content on the subject is Dr. Eyjolfur "Eyjo" Gudmundsson's economy presentation at EVE Fanfest 2014. One of the first professional economists ever brought into a game studio specifically to manage and analyze a virtual economy, Dr. Eyjo worked at CCP Games from 2007 to 2014. As one of the creators of PLEX, I think his words might have extra weight.

Comments about PLEX ... in 2014

Now PLEX as a product has increased usage since 2008 when it was first introduced. And at times yes prices have increased and even we can say quite rapidly in 2013. But it is not a consumer good as I mentioned earlier. It is not a driver for inflation of other items. There's a completely different market going on. A completely different thinking going on the PLEX market than there is when people are buying stuff to consume. Stuff to get out there and getting destroyed. Well, I know there are some to take PLEX out and get destroyed but I have no way to know what they are thinking. But please keep doing it.

But the biggest way of getting rid of PLEX is actually just by putting it out as a subscription. So this has become as I have mentioned before one of the most important items and it is truly showing a behavior as gold does in real life. When people believe that there might be inflation they want to go and buy PLEX to kind of keep their value. If they take a break from the game they want to store their value in PLEXes because they have this direct connection to a US dollar value or a real life value.

While CCP now offers more than game time for PLEX, I was interested how PLEX has increased in value over the past 16 years.

Price increases before the implementation of a global market

I divided the past 16 years into four eras:

The Dr. Eyjo era (January 2009 to June 2014) - The period ran from 2 months after the introduction of PLEX to the retiring of the Nobel Exchange and creation of the New Eden Store. During this time Dr. Eyjo was able to oversee the PLEX market. The end of the period corresponds with Dr. Eyjo leaving CCP to become the rector of the University of Akureyri, where he stayed until last year. The average price of PLEX in The Forge increased an average of 1.2% per month.

The beginning of the New Eden Store (June 2017 to March 2017) - This period was noteworthy for the use of Aurum in the new cash stop along with the addition of new items and services. Skill extractors and injectors were introduced in February 2016 while  The average price of PLEX in The Forge increased an average of 1.9% per month.

The new PLEX era begins (March 2017 to October 2022) - In March 2017 CCP ended the use of Aurum as a virtual currency and divided existing PLEX into 500 slices. The period also witnessed a large decline in the player base. The average price of PLEX in The Forge returned to increasing an average of 1.2% per month.

The Second Expansion Era (October 2022 to July 2025) - The period begins the month before the Uprising expansion to the creation of the global PLEX market. While posting large absolute price increases, the average price of PLEX in The Forge only increased an average of 1.0% per month.

The first decreased velocity of PLEX in 2013

Another concern I've heard about the PLEX market today is the declining amount of PLEX available for purchase. But again, players have seen this situation before. Dr. Eyjo addressed the situation in his 2014 economy presentation.

Let's look at the per PLEX price development and you'll see once you take the 30,000 foot view that things were not really that crazy in 2013. This starts in the beginning of the year in January and throughout the year it is kind of between 5-6 hundred million ISK until we hit November and December, as we would expect around an expansion, Increased demand with a relatively fixed growing supply. But there is an interesting phenomenon going on on this graph. Do you spot it? And remember what I told you from the earlier slide. I told you sales of PLEX have been increasing throughout the lifetime of PLEX. 

[Answer from the audience]

Less on the market. Thank you. Where are you? I owe you a beer. There, this guy. Look at him. I owe this guy a beer.

Yes, there is something going on in the system in the way that people are not willing to put the PLEX just out there. In economic terms we would call it as a decreased velocity and if you read the numbers from the right this is the in-game trade. There are 140-160 thousand PLEXes traded on the market per month. The velocity is greater than one meaning that each PLEX gets traded more often than one so this is not the total sales of PLEX during a month. It's the in-game trade. And as usage were increasing people were just putting less and less on the market.

[Question from the audience]

Is that the fact and I'll pick up on this question because I'm sure that that question is on Twitter. We have added services for PLEX so people may have the perception that's good to have a PLEX if they wanted to buy that service. But vast majority of PLEXes are used for subscription still. So it might be a marginal driver but it is not the biggest driver at this point in time. 

With the introduction of the Paragon Hub and the SKINNR system in the Equinox expansion in June 2024 a lot more services were added players could pay for with PLEX. Or as the dev blog stated:

Over the past few years, we’ve steadily added more products to the NES and the Paragon Hub. That means more ways to use PLEX which is good but it also puts more pressure on the supply side of the equation, like we are seeing now with it being one of the lowest the market has ever seen. At the same time, PLEX has developed a kind of stock-market appeal, especially among veteran players who see it as an asset to hoard or flip. The result? A large, ever growing, slow-moving float of PLEX held in wallets across New Eden, leading to less liquidity on the market. 

This limited availability especially during rare sales or high-activity events creates volatility and drives up the ISK price of PLEX. That volatility can destabilize the broader player economy, contributing to inflation and making the climb steeper for new and returning players who rely on PLEX to access Omega or other NES items. 

Over the weekend I've done a lot of research and thinking about the changes the global PLEX market foretells. I'm still not sure how I should feel about the changes. Not because a global market would make my live easier. But if things don't work out, will CCP look to take all the PLEX on my accounts away from me?