EVE is a special sort of MMO. Its population doesn't come to close to matching, say, World of Warcraft's numbers, but it's unbelievably tightly knit. Hell, it even has its own player-elected go-between group called the Council of Stellar Management. And those folks were elected for a reason. They're not just silent yes men. When they're pissed, they pipe up . Fortunately, it seems that CCP has finally listened.
"The estrangement from CCP that many of you have been feeling of late is my fault, and for that I am truly sorry," CCP CEO Hilmar Pétursson wrote in a recent blog post . "There are many contributing factors, but in the end it is I who must shoulder the responsibility for much of what has happened. In short, my zeal for pushing EVE to her true potential made me lose sight of doing the simple things right. I was impatient when I should have been cautious, defiant when I should have been conciliatory and arrogant when I should have been humble."
Further, he explained that he got caught up in EVE's rapid expansion. Even in the face of all sorts of hardship, EVE kept striking deals with new companies and breaking new ground with games like DUST 514 and World of Darkness.
"Somewhere along the way," he continued, "I began taking success for granted. As hubris set in, I became less inclined to listen to pleas for caution. Red flags raised by very smart people both at CCP and in the community went unheeded because of my stubborn refusal to allow adversity to gain purchase on our plans. Mistakes, even when they were acknowledged, often went unanalyzed, leaving the door open for them to be repeated.
"I was wrong and I admit it."
Granted, actions speak louder than words, and Pétursson acknowledged that. But, by the same token, admitting that you have a problem is the first step to solving it. So then, does CCP finally have its act together and its head on straight again? Only time will tell. But this - at the very least - seems like a big step in the right direction.
