MER – The Peace Dividend in September

CCP has apparently caught up with all the extra work from doing both EVE Vegas and the Onslaught expansion in about a month’s time, so the team has returned to some of the smaller items on its usual list, like the Monthly Economic Report.

Actually, we got two.  I had been bitching about how they skipped September.  But when I saw the October report appear in my feed I went to the dev blog site and found the September one there as well, dated “October 3, 2018.”

That agitated me a bit, because I had been checking for the September report for ages.  How could I have possibly missed it?  But an update from CCP Falcon announcing that both reports had been released on the same day.

Somebody fiddled the dates on the Dev Blog site.  I wonder how much they were paid for that?  Damn those corrupt developers!

I was going to simply skip over the September MER because I am sure nobody is exactly pining for me to put up two MER posts in a single month.  But it turns out the October MER is currently messed up.  The charts are missing two regions, Fade and Cache, and there is at least one chart from August posted.

I’m still leafing through the Onslaught patch notes, in case I missed something about CCP removing two regions from the game, since I am not certain anybody would notice if either went missing.  But the chart from August is a key one I use each time, so I am going to postpone writing about October until that gets fixed, which might mean skipping October altogether.  We shall see.

Back to September, we’ll just jump right in where we usually do, which is with the mining numbers.

September 2018 – Mining Value by Region

In a turn likely to surprise nobody who has been paying attention, Delve both led the pack in September and was up by almost 5 trillion ISK in mining value.  Since peace broke out in null sec in the back half of the month, pilots returned to Delve and resumed their strip mining of space.

We also got the bar chart back for September, so you can see how the various regions ranked.

September 2018 – Mining Value by Region Bar Chart

The highest region in the north appears to be Branch, with the east of null sec more closely trailing Delve, though Querious, owned and mined by the Imperium, is in third place overall.

A 5 trillion ISK jump in mining in Delve doesn’t seem like a huge uptick given the coming of peace.  And, while peace came late in the month, so maybe October will show a greater increase, the September jump is also fighting a drop in mineral prices.

September 2018 – Economic Indices

Mineral prices dropped to a three year low in September, and since mining is measured by the value of the ore mined, if the price goes down then the ore value goes down even if exactly the same amount of ore is mined.

Mineral prices are not yet at an all time low, as the next chart shows.

September 2018 – Economic Indices over All Time

There was a long stretch between 2007 and 2012 when mineral prices were lower.  But since the rework or NPC drops in the Drone Regions the price has been consistently higher.

Moving on to NPC bounties… well, what did you expect?

September 2018 – NPC Bounties by Region

Delve led the pack yet again, though was “only” up by about 1.4 trillion ISK over August.  Again we have the bar graph back so we can see how the regions shook out.

September 2018 – NPC Bounties by Region – Bar Graph

Branch, where GotG retreated, saw a significant amount of bounty payouts as well.

Overall null sec bounties were a slightly smaller percentage of the overall pic.

September 2018 – NPC Bounties by Sec Status

Yes, null sec still totally dominates, but the percentage was 93.2%, down from 93.4%, with high sec seeming to pick up most of that.  It is a tiny change, but when you consider that the war was ending you might figure that number would go up for null sec.  And doubly so as we see NPC bounties reaching for an all time high again, as the next chart shows.

September 2018 – Top Sinks and Faucets

Bounties haven’t topped past records, but my guess is that the October version of this chart won’t show a downturn.

Then there is the trade front.

September 2018 – Trade Value by Region

As usual, the region containing the central trade hub of New Eden dominates the numbers.  Jita stands so tall that everybody else appears to be… I was going to say a dwarf, but maybe a dwarf embryo might better describe the ratio.

September 2018 – Trade Value by Region – Bar Graph

Removing The Forge from the graph better shows how the rest of the game universe compares.

September 2018 – Trade Value by Region – Bar Graph, Forge Excluded

With that we see Domain, home of Amarr, standing out with its second place numbers, followed by Delve, home of the Imperium, the economic empire of null sec.

Overall trade is down a lot, with The Forge seeing a drop of nearly 90 trillion ISK compared to August.  While there is still a lot of trade going on, the war boom seems to be over.  Additionally, looking at prices, the market also appears to have back filled demand for Abyssal Deadspace relates items, like Gilas, causing prices to ease up some on that front.

Cloud Ring, where the Imperium was based for the war, saw a full trillion knocked off of its trade value compared to August, bringing the number down below 1.6 trillion.  Expect that to fall off further come the October report.

The same goes for contracts, where Cloud Ring fell off in September for the same reason.

September 2018 – Contracts Trade Value by Region – Bar Chart

Again, The Forge led the way with contracts, but Delve isn’t all that far behind.

And then there is Production.  The war saw some destruction, though not as much as one might have wished.  Still, there were ships to be replaced and everybody needs to build up for the next war.

September 2018 – Production Values by Region

While production for the main market in The Forge was down almost 2.5 trillion ISK in value, in Delve it was up by over 5 trillion ISK in value, pushing it past The Forge for total production.  The Mittani wants us all to own two titans now, so that has to be adding to the mix.  (I still own zero titans, a number unlikely to increase ever.)

September 2018 – Production Values by Region – Bar Graph

Still, what I would call the “Jita production cluster,” which includes The Forge, The Citadel, and Lonetrek, still add up to more than Delve.

And, as I usually do, I will wrap up with the regions overview chart.

September 2018 – Regional Stats

So that is September.  There was still a war going on, and Keepstars being destroyed, so it doesn’t show what peace really does to the economy, but it does show the start of the transition.  Once CCP fixes the October reports I’ll look into that… though, honestly, I suspect they won’t bother.  We’ll see if I’m in the mood to do another of these this month.

Anyway, you can find the whole September MER here, with more charts and all the data used to create it. (And the October is here if you want a peek.  It might be fixed by the time this goes live.)

Blizzard Will Give You a Mount if You Will Just Subscribe to WoW for Six Months

I think we’ve seen this before.

Back during Cataclysm Blizzard offered players a “free” copy of Diablo III if they would just commit to subscribing to World of Warcraft for a year.  The old Annual Pass gambit.  It seemed like a ploy back then to keep subscriber and revenue numbers up during the second year slump time of Cataclysm.  Is there a Battle for Azeroth slump already that they need to run this sort of deal again?

This time around you won’t be getting a video game with a $60 shelf price and a mount.  This time it is just a mount.  But you only have to commit for half the time.

For a limited time… between now and October 21, 2018… if you go to the Blizzard store… in game or at the web site… you can buy in on a special offer that gives you six months of game time for $77.94.

That is the usual price for a six month subscription, the longest time increment currently offered, coming out to $12.99 a month.  The bonus is the mount.

This is your bonus

The alleged reason for this is yesterday’s Talk Like a Pirate Day celebration, but I have to wonder if there isn’t another reason that Blizzard wants to lock players in for half a year.

If you were going to stay subscribed to WoW in any case, then this is basically a free mount.  If you are uncertain however, you might want to ask yourself how badly you really want this ride in Azeroth.

The EVE September Update Strikes Another Blow for Symmetry

The September update for EVE Online doesn’t have much in the way of cornerstone features.  The changes were largely drawn from the “little things” thread, which are small improvements to our daily life in New Eden.

A few changes in the patch notes worth noting.  For example:

It is no longer possible to add items to a mobile depot, while it is reinforced. It is still possible to remove items from a reinforced mobile depot or scoop the mobile depot itself.

This will likely lead to more dead excavator drones as it is the general practice of Rorqual pilots, when caught by attackers, to drop a mobile depot and dump their expensive excavator drones in it.  That saves them for another day as killing a mobile depot requires you to reinforce it, then come back later to kill it.  Now however the Rorqual pilot needs to be quick as the attackers will likely reinforce any depot they drop right away.

Then there is another key item:

Upwell Cargo Deposit is now available at all Upwell Structures. This feature allows players flying outside an Upwell Structure to place items from their ship cargo directly into their personal hangar in the structure.

This should close off the courier scam where pilots get sent to a citadel only to find that they have no access.  They can’t deliver so lose the usually inflated collateral.  There was a thread about this change in the forums.

And there were also a series of changes to how ship fittings are managed.  One big item is that you can save cargo items as part of the fit.  This will be a boon for Reavers, as Asher does like us to haul around a pile of refits.

If we could strap things to our ships, we would

There is a long list of minor updates, enough that there is likely something there to make you happy.

But the big change in the September releases is the graphical update to the line of ships based on the Caldari Osprey.  It was one of the few remaining asymmetrical designs.

The Osprey in its final form

Once the Caldari cruiser with mining bonuses, it eventually got fully focused on the logistics (space healer) role once CCP was done revamping the mining ship lineup.

Space was different back in 2007

There was a joke about Caldari ships back when I started playing EVE Online.  It was said that when it came to Caldari ship design, there was a designer for the left half of ships and a designer for the right half of ships, and that these two people had never met.

Over the years since CCP has been regularly changing the sometimes wildly asymmetrical designs with ships that have bilateral symmetry.  Some of these have been good.  I think the Scorpion and Moa ship lines look better for the change.  Others I have been less enthusiastic about.  The Cormorant got an odd treatment, while the Griffin went from a sleek lined frigate to a space pig.  All a matter of opinion I suppose.

This time the came from the Osprey, which now has matching appendages on either side.

The new Osprey

These side bits also now fold back while the ship is in warp.

Side thingies down!

The central body remains similar to the old model, with a frilled snout and the long, tapering engine housing in the back.

The Osprey Navy Issue got its own new set of wings with the change.

Osprey Navy Issue

And the tech II variation, the Basilisk, got wings that are somewhat reminiscent of Dumbo.

Flying with both doors open?

Those doors fold down a bit when the Basi is in warp.

Folded down a bit

I am not particularly enamored with the change.  As with the Oneiros, I think they managed to remove all the grace from the design with this change.  But I have been told that symmetry makes SKIN development easier, and SKINs sell.

Anyway, that is what we are getting for September.  The patch notes are available to read through, if you want to see all the little changes, while the updates page only mentions the Osprey changes.  The update has been declared live, so everything mentioned is now a thing.

Coincident with this update CCP also announced a special SKIN release as a fundraising effort for the family of a member of the team, CCP Mankiller, who passed away in July at the age of 44.

Cordite Blossom Sabre

These SKINs, called Cordite Blossom, will be available from the New Eden store for a limited time and, once removed, will be retired and never sold again.  Proceeds from the sales will go to help the family of the late CCP Mankiller.

The SKINs are available for the following hulls:

• 60 PLEX – Punisher
• 60 PLEX – Slasher
• 60 PLEX – Sabre
• 60 PLEX – Zealot
• 60 PLEX – Eagle
• 60 PLEX – Ferox
• 60 PLEX – Brutix
• 60 PLEX – Hurricane

Buy a SKIN or two if you can.

CCP to be Acquired by Maker of Black Desert Online for $425 Million

Enemy on island. Issue in doubt.

-Commander Winfield Cunningham, Wake Island, December 1941

Well, we all knew things were not going well for CCP.  They had, near the end of last year, laid off a chunk of staff… again… after a new game, EVE Valkyrie, into which they had poured development time and resources failed to take off… again.

So we had to at least suspect that something was coming.  My double bonus extra credit prediction for 2018, made back on January first, was:

CCP will announce they are merging with, or being acquired by, another studio before the end of 2018.

Such was the mood of the time.  And while the year went on and we got bits of good news about games being made in partnership with other studios, with CCP’s main contribution being the EVE Online IP and art assets, I suppose nothing really changed overall.

Still, it was a surprise to see this tweet this morning.

We're super excited to announce that #PearlAbyss, makers of #BlackDesertOnline will acquire @CCPGames as a wholly owned independent subsidiary soon!

Read more about it in this dev blog from or CEO, Hilmar over on the EVE Online website!https://t.co/D28iP7dKN9#tweetfleet

— EVE Online (@EveOnline) September 6, 2018

In case that doesn’t come through due to AdBlock… or it getting deleted some day… it announces that CCP is to be acquired by Pearl Abyss, the makers of Black Desert Online.

I guess Pearly Abyss is a name we’ll be hearing a lot more now.

A new addition to the logo page

Venture Beat reports the price of the acquisition at $425 million.  That is less than the $1 billion that was being bandied about as a number by Bloomberg two years back, but still a sizable amount, but it is better than bankruptcy.

CCP has a press release up about the acquisition as well.  It says a lot of nothing, as such press releases must, but I’ll quote it here for posterity.

SEOUL – September 6, 2018 – Today, Black Desert Online developer Pearl Abyss announced that it will acquire CCP Games, the creators of popular spaceship MMORPG EVE Online. The deal outlines that CCP Games will continue to operate independently as a developer with studios in Reykjavik, London and Shanghai, while integrating the company’s extensive development and publishing expertise into Pearl Abyss’ operations for all current and future projects.

EVE Online is a space-based, persistent world MMO game, developed by CCP’s Reykjavik studio. The game first launched in 2003 and has since gained recognition for its scale and complexity with regards to player interactions in EVE’s single, shared game world. EVE Online is one of the most critically-acclaimed MMORPG intellectual properties (IPs) in North America and Europe, and one of the most extensive works of science fiction in the world.

Pearl Abyss CEO Robin Jung stated, “We are thrilled to have CCP Games join our team as Black Desert Online continues to branch out globally. CCP is a seasoned publisher with over 15 years of digital distribution experience and know-how. They have done an incredible job of engaging and maintaining their playerbase, which we aim to learn from and hope to integrate natively into Pearl Abyss’ general practices across all our games. I am confident CCP’s reputable IP and expertise in global publishing will help reaffirm our company’s dedication to developing and servicing the world’s best MMORPGs.”

“I have been seriously impressed with what Pearl Abyss has achieved ever since I first visited their website for Black Desert Online and subsequently became an avid player of the game,” said CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson. “Pearl Abyss is a fast-growing company with lots to offer in terms of technology, capability and vision. I believe our two companies have a lot to learn from each other. We are very excited to join forces with them and achieve great new heights for our companies, our games and – above all – our players.”

Birgir Már Ragnarsson of Novator Partners and Chairman of CCP commented, “As lead investor in CCP for over 13 years alongside General Catalyst and NEA, we’ve seen CCP go from being a few dozen people strong to employing hundreds all over the world, with an ever-increasing customer base and multiple titles. CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson and his dedicated team have built a company that Novator and its partners are proud to hand over to Pearl Abyss and we wish them the best of luck in their future ventures.”

Pearl Abyss first launched its open-world MMORPG, Black Desert Online, in Korea in 2014. The game has received critical acclaim for its advanced graphics, seamless world, large-scale castle sieges and action-based combat system. Since Pearl Abyss’ initial public offering in 2017, the company has worked to secure competitive global IPs, such as EVE Online, through strategic investments and M&A activity.

Pearl Abyss saw record-high sales in the first half of 2018, following the launch of Black Desert Mobile in Korea. The company is looking forward to another strong year in 2019 with EVE Online and the upcoming global launch of Black Desert Mobile.

Deutsche Bank is acting as financial advisor to Pearl Abyss, and Kim & Chang is providing legal counsel. The Raine Group is acting as financial advisor to CCP Games, and White & Case LLP and LOGOS are providing legal counsel.

There is a Reddit AMA scheduled for tomorrow where, I am sure, we will be told everything is fine and nothing will change and that EVE Online will stay as it is or some such.

Hat tip to Rhavas… CCP Guard addressing the CSM

We will see some of this as well I am sure.

EVE Online Forever

And maybe it will be so.

But, having been through many acquisitions over my own career, in this stage of things it is in the interest of both companies to maintain the status quo and reassure everybody that there won’t be any significant changes.  That sort of news has to wait until the acquisition is complete and things have settled down a bit.

After all, everything was all light and happiness when SOE became Daybreak.  The layoffs came later.

So we’ll hear nothing of substance while those who love EVE Online fear the future and those who hate it hope that this will mean radical change.  The truth in the end will likely be less than anybody hopes for.  Expect a lot of memes.

(7:14:42 AM) directorbot@goonfleet.com: all characters must have at least 420 attack skill and 330 defense skill by next tuesday. If you don’t have the time to grind isk, you can purchase boosts from the store.

~~~ This was a broadcast from kcolor to opt-all at 2018-09-06 14:14:43.856271 EVE ~~~

I guess it might be time to see what Black Desert Online sells in their cash shop.

Coverage of the story:

• Venture Beat
• PC Gamer
• Massively OP
• Rock Paper Shotgun
• GameIndustry.biz
• EuroGamer
• EVE Hermit
• Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah

SuperData Shows League of Legends Dethroned and Fortnite Still Booming

SuperData Research has their numbers for March out and it shows an unexpected (at least to me) change with some of the usual suspected.

SuperData Research Top 10 – March 2018

League of Legends lost its first place spot on the PC list.  If you go to the SuperData tag here and scroll down the past posts, you will see that League of Legends has held that spot since the list was a thing.  It has been there for so long it seemed like it was just locked in place.

Of course, it was supplanted by Dungeon Fighter Online, a game in the China market that has been hanging around second or third position for as long as LoL has been in first place.

I’m not sure if League of Legends is sagging a bit or if the Season 4 release for Dungeon Fighter Online was that popular, but we have a new player in first position for now.

Further down the list Fortnite pushed into fifth spot while PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, fifth last month, dropped down to seventh place behind World of Warcraft.  World of Tanks held on to the eighth slot while Far Cry 5 joined at ninth, taking that spot from Hearthstone, and CS:GO held on to tenth.

On the console list Fortnite broke into the number one spot in March, followed by popular new comer Far Cry 5, pushing down FIFA 18, Call of Duty WWII, and the long in the tooth GTA V.  Sea of Thieves also hove into view on the list while Monster Hunter: World fell from fourth to tenth spot.

And on the mobile list Pokemon Go and Candy Crush Saga swapped positions compared to the February list.

It seems like things are still full speed ahead for Fortnite and their conquest of the battle royale genre.

Over Abundant Gifts in Telara

In the mix of old and new in Rift Prime, the daily gift box apparently made the cut for inclusion.

In its Rift for this is the daily rewards calendar.  You get something every day you log in.

The Daily Rewards you get Daily

I was on day six last night, which entitled me to a box of crafting materials.

Box of Materials

Previous days were fireworks or void stones or other little things.  So I claimed the box and opened it.

Oh, one of the things I didn’t bother to bring up in the last post was inventory management.  Being a new character on a new server and all that, I had only the 20 slot starter bag… World of Warcraft finally matched that… plus whatever other bags I have been able to scrounge.  That total hasn’t been much, leaving me with a grand total of 38 bag slots, which sounds like a lot, but really isn’t all that much for a packrat like myself.

I have tried to be good, vendoring things mercilessly to try and keep things from accumulating.  Still, I keep getting little things that I hate to toss, but haven’t gotten around to using.  How many stat buff scrolls can I use at once if they’re all for wisdom, right?

As I said, I opened the box, only to find it trying to dump in excess of 25 stacks of crafting materials on me.  I probably had a dozen slots free, tops.  So there I was with the clown car-like box waiting for me to clear bag space.

Inventory full and then some

Fortunately I logged off in Meridian the night before, so I only had to walk across town to the bank NPC in order to start depositing thing.  I’d hate for that to have happened if I were out in the field.

Like I said, I shouldn’t look a gift box in the… opening I suppose.  But sometimes the generosity is a bit too much.

Still, if I remember to claim every day and get to Day 21 before it resets a mount is waiting for me.

Trove of mounts at Day 21

We’ll see if I can wait that long for a mount.  Freemarch is a tight zone, but when you’re in an invasion event group and everybody mounts up and rides off while you’re trotting along behind, it can try a player’s will.