CCP Announces Fifth EVE Online Alliance Tournament

EVE Online developers CCP Games have announced the Fifth Alliance Tournament, a PvP competition set to take place over the weekends of February 29 and March 7.

The tournament will take place in an in-game arena prepared especially for the event, and for the first time in an Alliance Tournament, will feature new ships introduced in the Trinity patch. The competition features 40 teams divided into groups of five, with 16 matches per day cutting the preliminary entrants down to a "knockout phase" of four single-elimination rounds. According to CCP, the number of sign-ups for the tournament was so overwhelming that a televised draw was required to select the 40 Alliance teams who would take part.

Previous tournaments have been marked by insightful analysis and commentary from knowledgeable members of the community, and this one should be no different. "We want this to be an entertaining to watch as it is to participate in," said tournament committee member and Senior GM Petri Räsänen. "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."

Details about the upcoming Fifth Alliance Tournament, including update rules, ship limits and victory conditions, can be found at the EVE Online forums.