CCP News Alert: EVE Online presents the 5th Alliance Tournament

[Chierin]

Reykjavík, Iceland and London, England - February 29, 2008 - CCP Games, the developers of the award winning massively multiplayer online (MMO) game EVE Online, is proud to announce the 5th Alliance Tournament. The contest will take place over two consecutive weekends beginning February 29th and ending the weekend of March 7th.

The bravest capsuleers have once again been called to battle for fame, honour and fortune. This legendary event is sure to set ablaze the gloom of space with the explosive glory of combat. Expect the same great commentary as last year's tournament, as each round of warfare is dissected by knowledgeable members of the EVE community.

A specially prepared in-game arena hosts the Alliance PVP Championship, which demonstrates the best of the high stakes ship combat that's at the core of EVE's popularity. Ships introduced in the Trinity patch will be eligible for competition for the first time in an Alliance Tournament. The community response to the tournament signup was so enormous that a televised draw was required to determine which Alliance teams made it into the top-40.

16 matches will be hosted per day and streamed from CCP's studio in Reykjavik, Iceland. This is a multi-stage championship, similar to the FIFA World Cup. The 40 teams are divided into 8 groups, with the two victors from each group progressing to a knockout phase compromised of four single-elimination rounds. A firm winner will be determined after this elimination round.

After weeks of player feedback many of your suggestions have shaped the new tournament rules. "We want this to be as entertaining to watch as it is to participate in" said Petri Räsänen, Senior GM and member of our tournament committee. "This championship is the very essence of EVE. To win you'll need teamwork and a flair for tactics. Building ship setups will be at the heart of a team's possible success. Change and adaptation are keys, as is expected in war."

About the Alliance PVP Championship
For details of the rules and regulations of the Alliance Tournament, please visit http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingamebo...hreadID=674637


About EVE Online
Set tens of thousands of years in the future, EVE Online is a breathtaking journey to the stars, to an immersive experience filled with adventure, riches, danger and glory. Supported by a vast player-run economy, EVE offers professions to choose ranging from commodities trader to mercenary, industrial entrepreneur to pirate, mining engineer to battle fleet commander or any combination of these and much more. Your greatest asset is the starship, designed to accommodate your specific needs, skills and ambitions. Complementing its lethal arsenal are thousands of modules and components, allowing for countless customizations. From brokering business deals to waging war, you will have access to a diverse array of sophisticated tools and interfaces to forge your own destiny in EVE.

About CCP Games
CCP Games is an industry-leading independent developer and publisher of EVE Online, a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game. Founded in 1997 and privately held, CCP is recognized internationally as a pioneer of the single-server persistent universe architecture. EVE Online is played in nearly every country in the world with over 200,000 players. The company is headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland with offices in Atlanta, London and Shanghai. More information is available at http://www.ccpgames.com/.