EVE Online player event burns an entire solar system

The beautiful madness that epitomises EVE Online came to a head over the weekend as the Goonswarm-led Burn Jita event smashed through one of the most important trading hubs in the online universe - to CCP's quiet delight.

Jita is one of EVE Online's most populated solar systems and a lynchpin of the world's sprawling and delicate economy.

Beginning last Friday, a handful of powerful player groups amassed enormous fleets to make co-ordinated suicide runs on the well-policed system in an attack known as "Burn Jita".

Although the plan was announced in advance, thousands of ships were caught and destroyed; there's no saying how many resources and play hours were lost in the carnage - although scavengers enjoyed themselves in the aftermath.

The event falls well within the rules of the game and is expected to have profitable knock-on consequences for the players involved, but would be unthinkable in any other online world - which is what makes it so interesting to outsiders who weren't carrying a couple of hundred dollar worth of PLEX around the system.

In a detailed blog post, CCP broke down the event and discussed the technical details of its behind-the-scenes support; check it out.

EVE Online is set to get even more complicated this year with the launch of tie-in shooter DUST 514, in whih players form mercenary squads and take contracts from EVE Online players, with consequences for both games.

Thanks, Massively.