Just over two years ago was the famous battle of B-R5RB, considered by many to be the largest battle in all of gaming. We all know what happened. It made headlines across the Internet, from Joystiq to Polygon, shining the spotlight on Eve Online. Naturally, this piqued the interest of many gamers, and Eve Online was put into the spotlight, bringing in a much-needed influx of players to New Eden.
Since then, however, there hasn’t really been anything to surpass, even to rival, the chaos that was B-R5RB. Until now.
I won’t go into the details of what went down at M-OOE8, that’s Salivan’s forte. I’m here to talk about how this will affect Eve.
Let’s start with the most obvious one: hopefully, this will attract attention to the game. A post about the current war between the Money Badger Coalition (MBC) and the Imperium (formerly known as the CFC) has already made it to the front page of r/gaming. While many will just read about it and move on, there will surely be those that decide to give Eve Online a try, which is great! More players not only means more money for CCP, which ensures Eve’s future, but we’ll also have more capsuleers building, buying and blowing things up, creating more content for everyone. Speaking of content, one of the biggest complaints players have had in the past few years has been that content in null-sec has stagnated, and this has only amplified since the Imperium began to truly dominate New Eden. Now that they’re already evacuating entire regions, they’re sure to put up a fight to defend what remains of their territory, as the Imperium’s leadership can only rely on diplomacy for so long before they’re forced to face their foe on the battlefield. Will the Imperium fall? Regardless of whether it does or doesn’t, there will be many good fights to be had in the future, as various alliances squabble for as much territory as they can grab. Will null sec stagnate again? Most likely, but considering just how much territory the Imperium currently has, it will be a long time before that happens.
The conflict between the Money Badger Coalition and the Imperium will certainly go on for quite some time. Regardless of the result, it’s about damn time this happens. Not only because it will attract new players or improve the content for those that already play, but because of the epic stories this war will breed. I was one of the many pilots that took to the stars after hearing about B-R5RB. I went hunting, looking for videos or articles about the world of New Eden. I saw everything from the trailers put out by CCP themselves to fan projects like Clear Skies. There was one thing I saw everywhere: passion. Even though Eve Online is just a game, the experiences are real to the players. The victories are satisfying, the defeats are painful, and the friendships are real. Hopefully, the word will continue to spread. CCP might use this golden opportunity for advertisement themselves. Not only will this bring more players to the game, but this will also provide Eve players with more stories to tell. A lot of us weren’t there for BoB, or for Asakai, or for B-R5RB. Finally, after years of playing, we’ll be able to say those magical words: “I was there.”
The Money Badger Coalition is an ensemble of alliances from across New Eden that have recently banded together to fight the Imperium across its territory. Here is an analysis of the Money Badger Coalition, penned by fellow EN24 writer, Salivan Harddin.
