All is not well in the EVE universe. Mere days after its unveiling last week during EVE Fanfest, the monument CCP erected in honor of EVE Online’s players was defaced. A sticker was slapped on the side of the monument’s central tower and one of the usernames inscribed in the base was scratched out.
It should have been wholly unsurprising to anyone aware of how high tensions get between EVE players and factions, and yet it somehow surprised everyone. “What a jerk,” seemed to be the common refrain among players.
Four jerks, it turns out. Earlier this week CCP announced three players have received lifetime bans for their actions, across seven different EVE Online accounts. The fourth player received a six-month ban from EVE Online. CCP managed to track down the perpetrators by talking to community members and other members of the indicated alliance.
Hayden Dingman The monument is inscribed with the usernames of all active EVE players. One of those names was scratched out by vandals.
“The fact that the monument was vandalized is an insult to the entire community, not just to the individual whose name was directly targeted by the vandalism,” wrote community manager CCP Falcon in a statement on the EVE forums.
The four in question are also blacklisted from attending any EVE Fanfest events until the heat death of the universe.
“We would like to reiterate that we do not tolerate this kind of behavior and will continue to operate a zero tolerance approach to dealing with harassment and victimization in the EVE Universe,” wrote CCP Falcon. “We now consider this issue resolved within the EVE Universe, and any further action taken outside the virtual world relating to criminal damage or recovery of costs for repairs to the EVE Universe Monument will remain confidential between CCP Games, the authorities, and those involved.”