In an interview with Eurogamer back in October, Eve Online’s Tori Frans Olafsson stated that CCP was looking to introduce a cash shop, noting that any items added would be purely cosmetic. Now in June, CCP released the first phase of Incarna, bringing with it the Captains Quarters update, offering players the ability to buy clothing and an ocular implant for their avatar. As many players have pointed out, these transactions are anything but micro.
I’ve asked this question before: At what point do micro-transactions simply become transactions? The prices on these items range from about twenty dollars to almost seventy for the ocular implant. The new real money currency can be purchased with PLEX, meaning players with enough ISK can indeed buy the items without spending any actual cash. The ocular implant, for example, work out to about 1.3 billion ISK, depending on the market price for PLEX.
As I’ve seen pointed out on the forums, this sounds more like a money sink than a serious cash shop. Given that only you can see your purchases, it stands that CCP is looking to get rid of some excess PLEX by corporations or players who have simply amassed a large quantity of the item. Remember, PLEX isn’t just created out of thin air, so the factor of “players will get the cash shop items for nothing” does not have any grounds in reality. Yes, the person buying the item with PLEX he purchased with ISK does not spend any real cash, however someone had to buy the PLEX to put on the market. The benefits of such a market sink come at a rather low cost. There is no cost to keep shelves stocked, the bandwidth amount is probably negligible, and the number of players who will actually quit (as opposed to threatening to do so) are microscopic in size.
If you don’t like the cash shop, let CCP know. The best thing you can do is to not buy the items, and encourage your friends not to either. If you feel strong enough about it, vote with your wallet, and end your subscription.
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