Here Be Monsters

I’ve been reading a lot of the blog posts relating to CCP firing 20% of their staff, and there are some distinct differences in the way people see it, with the common theme that people are really sorry for the staff being affected. In my previous post I commented that it does have a hint of “you, as our customers, caused this!” in the new article.

I think the collective outrage at CCP regarding this has actually got quite a bit to do with the deep seated rage that the player base has had in the last few years. We all know that Eve players are a hardy bunch, passionate about their flying in space game. The game is like no other. I was there, I loved it..in some way, I still love it. When the 18 months bullshit plan was announced, the playerbase said that CCP better re-focus on their game, else there was going to be shit in the universe. CCP didn’t listen. Expansions offering nothing came, and the playerbase cried out. CCP didn’t listen. We got “frying a video card” aka “walking in stations’, and didn’t want it. CCP didn’t listen. Then they tried to do the whole Nex thing, and the community said “get that shit out of our game”.. CCP didn’t listen.

The final thing, after the protests was what some 4500 subscribers, including me with two accounts did. We unsubscribed. I use the word “we”, because I too rage quit. I will admit, I had a $30 a month (two accounts) stake in someone going home yesterday to his family and saying “I was laid off, sorry honey..” Now, while Hilmar has fired 20% of his staff (but still pulling a huge CEO salary), spins the story of “we are sorry”, and “we will focus on flying in space” and “WoD will take a back seat”. The rage in the community, in my opinion, is not about CCP finally admitting their mistakes, it’s because they did not listen long ago, when the players told them to listen. Now the players are shouting “if you listened, people would not be without their jobs you asshats!!”

Personally, I’d like to use this quote from Serenity:  -The Operative - “You know, in certain older civilized cultures, when men failed as entirely as you have, they would throw themselves on their swords.” Where is Hilmar, and why has he not thrown himself on the sword yet? I bet is that he is probably sitting in his office wondering “Why the fsck did they have to unsubscribe!? Stupid Eve players!” (A opinion which might have some truth if you follow Helecity’s tweets)..