Representatives
The Council of Stellar Management

The Council of Stellar Management

What is the CSM?

The Council of Stellar Management is a player advocacy group, consisting of 10 members democratically elected by the players, along with 2 additional members selected by CCP and voted in the top 20, to advise and assist CCP in the continuous development of EVE Online. The CSM brings focused and structured feedback from the community to CCP and represents their views and interests.

The role of a CSM member

The role of a CSM member is to represent the players in the ongoing development of EVE Online by providing analysis, sharing suggestions, and giving feedback based on the ongoing community discussions and concerns to CCP. As an elected representative, a CSM member will have clear communication paths with CCP and a chance to influence the development of EVE Online many times during their term.

The function of a CSM member

The CSM will have regular online meetings with the Community Team and members of the EVE Online game development, access to selected internal sites, and a direct connection to various teams across the organization.

The CSM will be asked to attend a one 5-day on-site summit in person in Iceland where they will:

  • Take part in high-intensity work sessions, playtests and brainstormings with the EVE Online teams.
  • Share knowledge by delivering insightful presentations on topics that can benefit the EVE Online game development.
  • Participate in content creation that can be used on EVE Online's channels.

Every member of the Council will have a chance to join remotely if they are unable to attend, and every member can request summit sessions on specific topics. CCP will cover the cost of flights, accommodation, transfers within Iceland, and provide a complimentary allowance for basic food expenses for those attending CSM summits.

The CSM manager acts as the first point of contact for the CSM and is reachable via email or Slack. Members of the Council can also request one-on-one calls should they wish to discuss anything regarding their work as a CSM representative.

Current CSM manager: CCP Swift

CSM input on EVE Online development and access to information

CCP will solicit the CSM’s feedback on different aspects of EVE Online, and at different stages of development. Council members will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement so that CCP can involve them in discussions under the assumption they will remain private unless there is mutual agreement to share the contents of the discussion publicly.

Generally, CCP wants to work with the Council of Stellar Management in 3 major ways:

  1. Getting feedback on EVE development priorities and long term roadmap

    CCP will regularly share confidential information with the CSM to evaluate different options and make strategic decisions in liaison with the Council. CCP will strive to facilitate meaningful discussions to better understand current community sentiment around different aspects of EVE Online from the CSM and a player perspective, using this information to make educated decisions during the prioritization of future EVE Online development plans.

  2. Discussing ideas, theory and design approaches for potential EVE Online features

    CCP will talk about potential EVE Online features with the CSM and share ideas, including those that may never see the light of day. In some cases, CCP will be discussing the substance of features and design concepts to the level of detail needed to establish a good mutual understanding, and the impact they may have on EVE Online. CSM delegates are likely to be privy to some early-stage information about potential upcoming features. CCP will share information with the community when possible and use the CSM to help channel community feedback. All CSM members are expected to bring forward community feedback on upcoming or new EVE Online features.

  3. Getting feedback on features in active development

    CCP greatly values help from the CSM in both providing individual feedback and gathering player feedback on features that are in active development, in public testing, or as optional features on Tranquillity. For features in active development, CCP may share information about solidified features with the CSM in advance of making them public. This may include finalized statistics, in-game cost numbers, as well as the exact function of certain features. The window between the CSM and the public getting their hands on this level of detailed information will generally be short, and as stated in the CSM Code of Conduct, members cannot derive any personal benefit in the game from them. It should be clear to all players what kind of feedback opportunity the CSM has had.

Benefits for CSM members

While serving on the CSM, all members of the Council are eligible for free Omega status on up to five accounts. They are also eligible for free admission to any CCP run event such as EVE Fanfest, and digital rewards associated with them.

Freedom of Expression

As a CSM delegate, you should always represent yourself and your supporters. You will never be asked or required to represent CCP's viewpoint or be expected to conform to standpoints preferred by CCP. It is expected that you will always represent your views and act in good faith on behalf of the entire EVE Online community.

Term Length, Dismissal and Resignation

The Council sits for a term of approximately 12 months with exact times communicated in advance via CCP's official channels. Members of the Council can serve up to a maximum of three terms in any order (consecutive or not) before a one-year cooldown will be applied, after which they can return to serve for another three years.

In cases where a member resigns from the Council before the end of their term, the candidates that weren't elected may be asked to join the Council in a reverse order of elimination. In cases of Code of Conduct breaches or NDA violations, members of the Council may be dismissed by CCP. Further action may be taken when appropriate under the terms of the EULA and the NDA. Members dismissed in this manner may become ineligible to serve on the CSM in the future.

Concerns

All needs, disputes or concerns on topics, such as the operational side of the CSM institution, relationship with CCP or between the Council members, and suspicions of any misconduct by either party must be brought to the attention of the CSM manager immediately to ensure minimal disruption to the program.

Code of Conduct

The Council will be facing the realities of the fast-paced game development environment together with CCP. For this reason, clear expectations towards behavior when interacting with EVE Developers must be established and each member is expected to follow them at all times.

  • Members of the council are expected to engage in discussion with CCP and other council members in a professional and constructive manner, avoiding the use of foul language or other offensive statements focused on specific individuals.
  • Members of the Council must respect confidence with CCP and other CSM members and avoid sharing details of internal CSM discussions without the explicit approval of all parties involved.
  • Members of the Council must keep the ongoing discussion with CCP private until such a time that there is mutual agreement to share that discussion. Assume all details are private until otherwise agreed upon. If a member of the CSM is unsure whether they can share a piece of information, they are responsible for verifying whether they may do so with the CSM manager first.
  • Members of the council shall not use any information gained in confidence or before the general public to derive any personal benefit in the game, either directly or indirectly.
  • Members of the council must follow the provisions in the EULA and TOS at all times.
  • Members of the council are expected to maintain a reasonable level of activity with the council and to inform the CSM manager about any commitments that may impact their activity as soon as possible.
  • All CSM members are expected to avoid intentionally misrepresenting CSM discussions with CCP or other members of the council when speaking publicly.

Failure to abide by the code of conduct will result in official reprimands. Continuous bad behavior can result in early dismissal from the Council of Stellar Management.

Historically, the CSM was governed by a White Paper. While no longer in use, you can find it here.