Our very own news super-sleuth Ian C. walked you through the whole big ish behind the huge scandal that rocked the EVE Online universe. In a two-part insider investigation from both the EVE Insider Forums and The Escapist, he shoved you through the biggest example of developers' abuse of power.

Even if you aren't an EVE subscriber, MMOG players take note: it could happen to you. The exhaustive bombardment going on between the developers and the players hasn't ceased, and a new side has begun to form: third-party onlookers and analysts are beginning to voice out their concern, too.

The issue's wind has begun to kick up, and several other forums have caught whiff of the news. The consensus? "Stop the abuse of power." Or something like that.

After Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO of CPP, told the EVE community about the waves the incident has caused inside CCP, including the gamers' concern about having devs playing the game, he reasoned out the need for developers to stay closely linked to the players and the gaming community. He highlights that the best way for developers to do that effectively is to play the game alongside the players. Unfortunately, developers do have higher powers, plus they can muster more information and resources than the common player can.

Conclusively, Petursson stressed:

The developers of this company will always play the games that they build here. Without being fully immersed in the player experience, perspective, and community, it is impossible to build, maintain, and expand online worlds with any degree of competency. And while that does expose us to some degree of risk, the rewards are incalculably higher. EVE has grown stronger every year since its inception; these bumps in the road are an inevitable part of the journey we must endure as a growing company; and we would not be here today if we opted to isolate ourselves from the player experience of EVE Online. It is thus that we look forward to putting this matter firmly behind us, and move forward with our continued mission to improve and expand a world that we hold close to our hearts.