According to what is apparently an internal CCP newsletter, the Icelandic developer is debating whether or not to a micro-transaction model to Eve Online. While the space-based MMO has relied upon subscriptions, lead CCP games designer Kristoffer Touborg, thinks that micro-transactions should also be implemented.
“I would like virtual goods sales in Eve. In fact, I’d like to sell a lot more than vanity items. Does this mean I’m an evil capitalist that, unless stopped, will cause the entire company to catch fire and be buried at sea by a secret team of Navy SEALs wrote Touborg. “Let ‘s hope not, although that’s the impression I get sometimes when interacting with our customers. There is a pretty overwhelming perception amongst Eve players that these changes are bad. I think they’re brilliant, but our players don’t. We’re going to face an uphill struggle, and the reason many of us never talk about this publicly is that we’d be burned at the stake by the players.”
CCP’s John Turbefield, however, argued against the proposed changes. “When we’re adding additional things into the game that enable users to gain an advantage over other people for real money in a way they simply wouldn’t be able to if we hadn’t done so, then it becomes an issue,” he wrote. “I feel that if people have already paid a subscription fee then unless there is a good reason for the overall community to introduce a gameplay-affecting virtual goods sales (such as with PLEX), then gaining an in-game advantage isn’t justifiable. More revenue is of course an aim, but making our customers feel like they are being ‘double billed’ to be able to play on the same level as others is just a step too far.”
Source: Eurogamer
