CCP has reported in a press release that the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Eve Online has passed the 450,000 subscriber mark. Both the partnership with TianCity which resulted in the game being re-launched in China and the release of Retribution have helped.

The press release states;

"I  can't think of a better way to kick off our celebration of our tenth anniversary than bringing a new era of EVE Online to mainland China, and I welcome them into the world of New Eden as we enter into our second decade of growth and prosperity for EVE," said  Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP.

In addition to the game's relaunch in China, CCP also announced that the recent launch of the game's 18th free expansion, EVE Online: Retribution, has also helped the game cross the 450,000-subscriber mark for the first time in its nearly ten-year history. "Because of the tremendous effort of the team at CCP, we can proudly say that EVE Online has grown every year since its launch in 2003," added Pétursson.

It seems to this humble writer that all the pundits who stood on their soapboxes and proclaimed that the subscription model for MMOs was officially dead, have missed a few stalwart entries in the genre like Eve and Wow. I still think there are a lot of people who feel that their $15 a month is money well spent for games that are continuously improved with additional contents and updates. I happen to be one of them. Now ... where did I leave my battle cruiser?