CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson has said the firm lost a connection with its community when earlier this year it “forced [changes] upon” EVE Online players and removed features the fanbase “cared a lot about.”
Speaking in an interview with Gamasutra, Petursson said that as the developer looked more towards its own goals, it found that both “people inside CCP and inside the community” called them out on such “a great mistake.”
“One of our strengths has been to collaborate with the community on the development of EVE… but I have to admit… that we have lost that connection in our ambitions to push on these three agendas [EVE, Dust 514, World of Darkness] at the same time,” he said. “The experience we’ve now gone through is getting back to the CCP which was much more focused on that, and that is what we hope to demonstrate now going forward.
“I’d say [working with the community] is in our DNA,” he said. “I would call this more about going back to our roots, behaving like the company that people have come to love and respect, frankly.”
Petursson admitted that at first, the firm felt the initial backlash was nothing more than “just some noise in the channel,” but found enough that it was, in fact, “something that was really emotionally important, and something that people are really connected with in EVE Online.”
The community’s whisper to a scream tactic worked, though, and prompted Petursson to write his letter to the community, and it also prompted the firm to refocus its efforts on EVE and DUST 514, with a less emphasis on its MMO World of Darkness.
The firm is also looking to draw more players into the EVE universe by offering new accounts free cerebral accelerator implants, which “significantly increase a new pilot’s skill development,” for 35 days. A rare Apotheosis frigate is also on offer for players who invites friend to join the game, who then upgrade to a paid account.
EVE’s Power of 2 special is also back from now until November 28, and existing players get 180 days of free game time with an alt character account or three PLEX, for $49.95. The new account will receive a cerebral accelerator as well. (Thanks, Massively.)
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