Disclaimer: This isn’t an “EVE is dead” or “EVE is dying” thread. Player numbers had been somewhat trending upwards prior to Equinox, and with summer more or less over - we should’ve seen the numbers bounce back to the low 30k’s. This hasn’t happened (excluding any ‘dead cat bounces’). By any metric we’re shy at least 5k+ active players at any given time.
Whether or not you’re a fan of SKINR, whether you’re in favor of or against the Null/Wormhole changes in Equinox - it really feels like something is… amiss.
There are some ominous signs:
• PLEX consistently breaking past $5.5 million with no end in sight
• SP farms becoming unprofitable for the first time
• Spikes in certain key mineral prices (particularly isogen)
So is Equinox finally the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back? Are we witnessing the beginning of the end…?
Wow, what an eye-opener! I hadn’t considered how bad things are until you pointed out we’re “shy at least 5k+” players. It’s so much more impactful than just saying “only 25k”—you really drive home the gravity of the situation. And that “dead cat bounce” bit? Pure gold. I mean, who needs balanced analysis when we can focus on these dramatic, ominous signs? The way you’ve framed the numbers really makes me see how catastrophic this all is—why bother with the actual figures when the phrasing does all the heavy lifting?
I especially appreciate how you’ve avoided the typical “EVE is dying” rhetoric. You’ve managed to convey the exact same message without ever saying it outright. That takes skill. And calling out those terrifying PLEX prices, unprofitable SP farms, and mineral spikes?Brilliant. It’s almost like we’re teetering on the brink of disaster, one carefully chosen word at a time.
Kudos for sparking this conversation with such a subtle, well-crafted nudge towards panic. Can’t wait to see where this thread leads us—maybe we’ll discover we’re actually “shy” of the entire player base soon. Keep up the good work!
I mean, what’s a 20%+ drop in the active player base… The active pre-summer, summer and post-summer numbers for the past 5 years would seem to indicate we have more of an “anomaly” this time around.
Not entirely sure what your “things aren’t going great” threshold is. Active player count dropping another 5k+ to the low 20k’s? PLEX hitting $6m? $7m? $10m? Bear in-mind that we just came off a PLEX/Omega sale…
Nice thing! SP farming should never have worked. The whole SP-selling thing is stupid as ■■■■ and should never have been implemented.
Don’t see a problem. Income options are ridiculously high these days… I mean, I literally drown in ISK and there is no end in sight. You realize why PLEX prices are so high, right? Mass-Alts (PI, multiboxmining) and SP-farms that consume hundredthousands of PLEX each month without adding a noticable amount of real ingame content (because the SPfarmers never undock and the massmultibox alts warp to a POS or Citadel as soon as any non-blue enters the local…). If we can get rid of the SP farms, fine. Hopefully massmultiboxalts die next.
Wasn’t my idea. Maybe the death of skill farms is a long-term goal.
You’re not necessarily wrong. Not sure about all multiboxers, though (at least from a mining perspective). Less PLEX consumed to be sure; but I’m not sure what the flipside to mineral prices would be.
I don’t actually have a position here I just thought I’d try my hand at a meta-ironic piece.
Honestly? Not a great experience.
I am waiting until the sov changes in null hit fully to make my determination. Skyhooks didn’t make that much difference in terms of content for us, and the current meta is to force enemies to new sov mechanics because they are worse. I think, if you are looking for a breaking straw, that will be it, and we are not there yes.
Why did one straw break the camel’s back? Here’s the secret The million other straws underneath it It’s all mathematics (math)
EDIT: I should say for me I don’t care, because if null sov changes don’t work out…
Start a petition to get the devs to release a home-hostable version so we can arse about in Single Player mode in an empty universe just like in real life.
