CCP t0rfifrans has announced in a dev blog entry that a mini-expansion, which the team refers to as Apocrypha 1.5, is tentatively scheduled to launch in mid-August. The team is currently working on the winter expansion for EVE Online, but didn't want to make players wait that long to experience new content.

According to the blog entry, Apocrypha 1.5 will include the addition of "small and medium sized rigs (existing rigs will be considered large rigs), which will be cheaper to buy and make." The mini-expansion will also introduce new level 4 epic mission arcs will be more challenging and rewarding, and will each be themed around a specific race.

You can read more about Apocrypha 1.5 in the dev log entry below.

According to a post on the official EVE Online Web site, Apocrypha 1.3 will be deployed on Monday during downtime from 8 a.m. to noon GMT. Here's what you can expect to see in the patch:

This latest patch in the Apocrypha series contains some fantastic changes for core memory and lag reduction on Tranquility. Tech 3 production and reverse engineering will be receiving a major boost in terms of increased radar sites in wormhole space, increased drop rates of Tech 3 datacores along with increasing the runs on the blueprints from reverse engineering jobs. Starbases will see significant improvements with the deployment, anchoring, on-lining and un-anchoring of starbase towers and structures to be improved for all players.

You can read the full patch notes after the jump.

The staff of EVE TV has announced the team of player experts who have been chosen to act as PvP commentators for the Seventh Alliance Tournament. Crovan and Kil2, veterans of the sixth tourney, will return as the lead experts, while TeaDaze, Trzzbk and Ryas Nia will be flying to CCP Headquarters in Reykjavík, Iceland for the first time to be commentators for the tournament final.

Signups for the competition are set to open on July 3. More information can be found on the signup page. The Seventh Alliance Tournament is scheduled to take place in early September.

For those of you who like to watch G4TV's MMO Report, you may have heard that CCP Games, the guys who made EVE Online, will be delivering a keynote address at the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe, and it's titled "CCP: Winning the War." More importantly, they state in their press release that "as a testament to the industry’s potential for growth despite widespread economic turmoil and as an inspiration for up-and-coming independent studios, Petursson will give an exclusive first look at the company’s latest project, which is currently in pre-production." In other words, this means that they may be finally beginning serious development of World of Darkness, an MMORPG based on the universe created by White Wolf, Inc.

You may remember in 2006 when CCP Games merged with White Wolf, Inc. and announced that they were planning to make a World of Darkness MMORPG. To further support the theory that their upcoming MMO will be World of Darkness, in 2008, The Atlantica Journal-Constitution went and visited the CCP Games Headquarters and observed at the end of their tour that "after the release of Eve Online’s expansion in March [2009], the company will focus on creating another multi-player game based on the popular World of Darkness fictional universes created by White Wolf." I guess World of Darkness fans should keep their fingers crossed until August!

The new Alliance Tournament section of the EVE Online Web site went live today in preparation for the seventh PvP tourney, which will take place in September. CCP Claw has written an in-depth blog entry outlining the changes that will be implemented in this year's event.

First off, signups won't be first-come, first-served this year. Instead, 16 teams from the sixth Alliance Tournament will be automatically qualified, and the remaining 48 teams will be randomly drawn to give everyone a fair chance. You can read the full signup rules here.

Also, there's a bunch of changes to the rules. Logistics Ships are legal again, with a max of one per team; each ship will be limited to a maximum of two to create some variation in tactics; the points values have been altered; and Tech 3 ships and haulers have been added to the points table. You can read the full rules here.

Claw's full blog entry is below. According to the post, CCP is still looking for expert commentators to talk about PvP during the tournament. Applications are open until Sunday, and the selected players will earn a free trip to Iceland. More information on applying to become a commentator can be found here.

The staff here at The ZAM Network is excited to unveil our Final Fantasy XIV site, which will now be our portal for news relating to the development of the game and community discussions. Look forward to a host of new and returning features including:

* ZAM FFXIV Wikibase
* Bustling forum community
* Featured Screenshots
* Translated media from Japan
* A community contributed comic strip
* Fan Art Gallery
* Blog Directory (with periodic Blog round-ups in News)
* Graphics Gallery for wallpapers and avatars
* Two skins (one light, one dark) to choose from
* Weekly polls
* Hot Topics from both FFXI and FFXIV forum communities
* Twitter updates
* Increased community involvement
* Weekly Accomplishments wall

As always, our busy forum community will no doubt give you a lot of room for discussing the game. What do you think we'll see and what you want to see in the new world of Haiderin? Be sure to tell us what you think about the site so far!

Our wikibase is being filled up nicely with community content and is easily searchable at the top of the site. We hope to see users contributing where they can! Stay tuned for news, updates, and editorials on this exciting new title from Square Enix!

CCP has announced that Hilmar Pètursson, the company's Chief Executive Officer, will be delivering a keynote address titled "CCP: Winning the War" at the Game Developers Conference Europe 2009. According to the press release, "Pètursson will discuss CCP's rise to success from relative obscurity and how the small Reykjavik-based studio overcame the stigma of producing a niche product that’s now one of the largest massively multiplayer games (MMOGs) in the world: EVE Online."

While it will be interesting to see what lessons Pètursson can share through CCP's success, perhaps the most exciting news is that he will be giving "an exclusive first look at the company’s latest project, which is currently in pre-production."

According to the GDC Europe Web site, Pètursson's address will inspire other studios and "share his views on an industry that is still flourishing despite the economic turmoil." The convention will be held Aug. 17-19 in Cologne, Germany. You can read the full press release after the jump.