REYKJAVIK – EVE Online’s Game Masters are reportedly being granted permission to “have fun” during GM Week 2026, which kicks off Monday 28 September. Industry insiders describe the measure as the most sweeping relaxation of workplace policy in the game’s two-decade history.
“It’s a profound shift,” said one GM, speaking under strict anonymity on the condition that his fun remain strictly work-adjacent. “For 22 years, joy was classified as a capital offense against the service desk SLA. Now I’m told I can ‘smile,’ but only within approved parameters, and only if it doesn’t delay my response queue.”
Early details confirm the fun will be heavily regulated. “We’re told we may laugh, but only at jokes the company has pre-approved,” a second GM reported. “If I chuckle at something player-generated, I have to log a ticket against myself. It’s a lot of paperwork, but it’s a start.”
When reached for comment, a Fenris Creations spokesperson confirmed the fun would be “rolled out in stages,” and that any GM found enjoying themselves excessively would be “brought back in line for the good of the community.”
At press time, GM Week officially began, and sources confirmed the first GM had achieved a smile of 0.4 seconds duration – the first in recorded history.
Official GM Week announcement: The EVE Online Game Masters will soon be allowed to have fun at work.
