In stunning news this week, CCP has confirmed a special investigation will be opened looking into accusations leveled at several prominent players of collusion in the Abyssal FFA Arenas. Shocking almost nobody, many reddit posts and stories have been circulating claims, and even screenshots, that some infamous players are messaging others in the Arena and offering to “team up” to gain an advantage. The apparent conversation logs have outraged many.
Announced on the EVE Forums where they were unseen until somebody posted the news to Reddit, the investigation received many upvotes indicating probable approval by the community. The collusion indicated by numerous screenshots and claims by Arena-goers is widely perceived as un-sportsman-like and controversial.
In the latest Abyssal Arena, the combat is Free-For-All style, restricted to Destroyer Class ships. Again, surprising nobody, certain players with excess isk bling these cheap ships to gain massive advantage, and are now suspected of attempting to collude with others in the arena for yet more advantage. Many players recognize these high rollers and have taken to targeting them as the biggest threat first.
There is debate if the strategy should be illegal or not. The engagement is “free for all”, but does that entail being free to work together? This question along with a myriad of complaining posts and downvotes had pressured CCP, seemingly to pass the issue and task of investigating off on the CSM. The Council of Stellar Management unanimously agreed to nominate Brisc Rubal for Special Counsel to the investigation, who has refused comment on the matter to-date.
As the weeks passed and more Proving Ground filaments have come and gone, one thing remains consistent: the clever ways capsuleers are finding to gain an advantage and inflate their egos. With each iteration of the Proving Grounds it seems CCP has, at the least, imposed some restrictions on ship bling, angering many of the well-off, elite PvPers. Time will tell if the Special Report will reveal the collusion to be an issue CCP must actually act on.
