PLEX prices are high because of speculators, not because a bunch of players suddenly decided to start using PLEX for their accounts. It's an unfortunate consequence of CCP introducing PLEX as a convenient alternative to GTC trading and as a foundation for monetized perks like multiple character training.

It's not a certainty that PLEX being bought and sold on the market within EvE is new plex recently bought for $20.

Increasing the price of PLEX has 2 benefits for CCP.

1) it raises the ISK subscription fee resulting in more people needing to continue their ability to stay within EVE with subscription purchases with real money, which real money benefits CCP.

2) Because the PLEX is more lucrative due to it's having a higher ISK worth, more people are willing to pay CCP real money to buy PLEX to then turn into ISK, which results in CCP getting more money from people buying more PLEX to sell for ISK.

If Plex were worth only 300mil ISK, more people would be subbing to EvE with plex rather than money, which would result in less money for CCP. Eventually, through the PLEX disappearing through use of pilots licenses, they would become scarce resulting in them raising in isk and worth over time. And since $20 would only be buying 300mil ISK, less people would be buying PLEX since at that time, $20 = 300mil isk.

It's very obvious that PLEX being worth more ISK benefits CCP.

The question of the matter though, is CCP manipulating the worth of PLEX behind the scenes to benefit themselves? Which if they were, IMO, would be perfectly acceptable since ultimately they are a business providing a service.

higher PLEX prices? Yes. They noticed more people not using subs, and a drop in income because people don't want to pay for all this feature-less "development" (lol "expansions") and they are using their own methods to force us into paying them more money. It's a cash grab, pure and simple.

Are you buying into it?

When looking for the source of a problem, you need to look at the intersection of who profits from the problem and who can enable the problem to occur.

Do regular subscribers benefit from high PLEX prices? No.
Do subscribers with PLEX benefit from higher PLEX prices? Hell no.
Do people who buy PLEX to fund their activities benefit from higher PLEX prices? Yes, but how are they going to drive PLEX prices up?

Does CCP benefit from higher PLEX prices? Yes. They noticed more people not using subs, and a drop in income because people don't want to pay for all this feature-less "development" (lol "expansions") and they are using their own methods to force us into paying them more money. It's a cash grab, pure and simple.

Are you buying into it?

This only applies under the scenario in which PLEX is NPC seeded, which it isn't. Every single plex in the market was placed for sale by a player, that paid real money for it.

Now if the individual was buying up plex with illegitimate isk and then trashing them, that would be a problem, but I am utterly too tired to reach for my :tinfoil:

As I said in another thread high PLEX prices are due to: demand > supply, basic economics, no conspiracy here.

This COULD be happening. It is POSSIBLE that CCP creates "throw away" accounts to buy PLEX from the market with instantly materialized through GM/DEV code, without the work put in to generate the ISK, and then delete it to remove the supply of lower priced PLEX to leave the remaining PLEX at a higher, more desireable for CCP price.

This COULD be happening. It is POSSIBLE that CCP creates "throw away" accounts to buy PLEX from the market with instantly materialized through GM/DEV code, without the work put in to generate the ISK, and then delete it to remove the supply of lower priced PLEX to leave the remaining PLEX at a higher, more desireable for CCP price.

I bet you believe in Chemtrails too.

I bet you believe in Chemtrails too.

Also, it could be construed that PLEX is NPC seeded because no one builds the PLEX, CCP materializes the ISK out of thin air upon it's purchase.

I even explain that since people have to buy PLEX for it to exist, that it causes a desire for PLEX to be worth more isk to justify the investment of real money to make the isk return worth it.

Why would you say that?

Oh he does! Wow......stereotypes are amazing.

That doesn't make it NPC seeded.

GǪwhich only explains how players benefit from higher prices, not CCP. Your scenario still hinges on the notion that PLEX are seeded, which they're not.

Believing in something and understanding it's a possibility are 2 different things.

The inability to understand that is ignorance.

Where does PLEX come from?

Cash payments to CCP.
No, no NPC is involved. No, they're not seeded. No, CCP does not miss out on money when people PLEX their accounts.

So CCP creates the PLEX.

So since CCP creates the PLEX, it is in their best interests to have PLEX be desirable enough to want to buy.

PLEX being bought because it's desirable equals more money for CCP.

Cheap isk PLEX hurts CCP more than expensive isk PLEX, because cheaper isk PLEX is less desirable to purchase from CCP for $20 than a more expensive isk PLEX for $20.

A PLEX costs $20.
A subscription costs $15.

If a person is looking to sub his account using money, it's understandable that he's going to use the option that results in him paying less, being a $15 subscription costs. He COULD buy a PLEX for $20 and then immediately turn around and use it to sub his account, but IMO, that's a waste of $5 because he could've got the same product for 25% cheaper.

Now considering that it's more cost efficient for a player looking to subscribe his account using dollars to go with the cheaper option, the purpose of PLEX existing has to be taken into consideration.

That purpose is to sell PLEX for isk. If PLEX is worth 350million isk, it is less desireable than a PLEX being worth 700million ISK. Higher desirability potentially results in more PLEX being bought to get more value.

Cheap isk PLEX hurts CCP more than expensive isk PLEX, because cheaper isk PLEX is less desirable to purchase from CCP for $20 than a more expensive isk PLEX for $20.

What high school did you go to? I think I need to slap whoever gave you a diploma

Cheap isk PLEX hurts CCP more than expensive isk PLEX, because cheaper isk PLEX is less desirable to purchase from CCP for $20 than a more expensive isk PLEX for $20.