Real-Life Lobbyist Gets Permanently Banned from 'Eve Online'

An interesting story is developing within the Eve Online community that’s centered around a [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

An interesting story is developing within the Eve Online community that's centered around a real-life lobbyist who previously served as a member of the game's Council of Stellar Management (CSM). Brian Schoeneman, known in-game as Brisc Rubal, was removed from the CSM and banned from the game itself after the developer, CCP Games, said Schoeneman shared confidential info which was later used by others to "conduct illicit in-game transactions." Schoeneman denies the claims and says he's innocent of all the allegations.

The members of the CSM advocate for different player factions, work closely with the developers to weigh in on upcoming features, must be elected by their peers, and must agree to NDAs that prohibit them from sharing certain information. Schoeneman, a maritime union official, was one of the members of the council and a member of an alliance called The Initiative until he was banned by CCP Games and removed from the role. A post on Eve Online's site explains the allegations.

"It is with great disappointment that I bring you the following news," the post explained. "Brisc Rubal has been found to be sharing confidential information with a member of his alliance that was later used by another alliance member to conduct illicit in-game transactions."

Evidence of this information that the charges are built on wasn't presented in the post, though the developer said it was members of the CSM themselves that came forward to bring awareness to what was called an "immediate threat to the integrity of the CSM as an institution."

Schoeneman shared a full response and denied these claims. He said he's reached out to CCP Games several times seeking more information and hasn't yet received any answers. His response went on to call the charges "baseless" and said it has had a negative impact on his real life and also his in-game persona.

"These baseless charges have had an immediate and negative impact on not only my in-game reputation but my out of game reputation," Schoeneman said. "I have spent the last year working hard on behalf of the community that elected me to represent their interests to CCP. I have done so diligently, attending more than 95% of all of the meetings and conference calls that have taken place. There is no reason why I would jeopardize all of that by violating my word, putting my reputation on the line, and risking all of this to provide a fellow player with an unfair advantage in the game."

The developer's full response can be found here while the response from Schoeneman can be seen here.

Thanks, PC Gamer.

-----

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we talk about that Joker trailer, WWE Wrestlemania 35 and more! Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!

0comments
Start the Conversation

of