One of the rarest spaceships in Eve Online just sold for over $30,000, with all proceeds going to help the Australia Red Cross.
Of all the various MMORPGs online today, none are as expensive as Eve Online. The longest-running space-based MMO has evolved a byzantine economy that has attributed vast sums of real-world wealth to its fictional spacescape. Epic battles can cost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in actual cash, meaning they happen extremely infrequently.
It also means that certain rare spaceships can command a price tag as high as an actual, real-world automobile. The Gold Magnate is just one such spaceship.
It's a frigate, which isn’t exactly a powerhouse capital ship. But according to PC Gamer, it’s arguably one of the most powerful frigates in the game. It’s also extremely rare; the Gold Magnate has only ever been handed out by the game’s developers as prizes for tournaments a couple of times, and since then many have been lost to piracy. It’s believed that only two Gold Magnates still exist in Eve Online, and one of them just sold for 1,001,001 PLEX.
That’s roughly $32,500 USD, in case you were wondering.
The sale was made by former ship owner Kelon Darklight (that's their in-game name) to YouTuber Scott Manley, but Kelon isn't getting a dime. Instead, all proceeds will be donated to the Australian Red Cross thanks to Eve's PLEX for GOOD charity campaign in support of the Australia bushfires.
The bushfires have been ongoing since last year with many nations sending firefighters and equipment to help put them out. Thousands of homes have been destroyed and over a billion animals are thought to have died as a result of the fires. Worse, global carbon emissions are rising from all the trees and plant life being burnt, with this year expected to be the worst year on record.
Australia is still reeling from the ongoing crisis, and every little bit helps. Or a lot, in the case of a single ship sold on Eve Online.