Market Discussions

So does that mean if you lose your "skinned" pod it is lost forever? Back to the crappy default pod and not the "pimped out" one? Crappy move because it even stated on the implant that it stays with you FOREVER! now replacing that with a "skin", in my mind removes that promise of "forever".

No no no, this isn't a question about "Will my Pod remain Golden"

It's a question of "What will happened to the implant item itself?"

I'm starting to guess the implant item is going to become a SKIN Item, still tradeable....?

The implant should be replaced by a Skin "voucher"


"Skinned ships will become a base version of the same and a SKIN item for that skin will be added to the owning players redeeming queue. For example: If you have a Megathron Quafe Edition you will get a standard Megathron in the same location as the original, and 1 Megathron Quafe SKIN (Permanent) item placed in your redeeming queue.
Skin Blueprints will become a number of SKINs equal to the number or runs remaining on the blueprint. They will all be placed in the redeeming queue. For example: If you have an Abaddon Tash-Murkon Edition 10 Run Blueprint you will receive 10 Abaddon Tash-Murkon SKIN (Permanent) items in your redeeming queue.
Skinned Ships and blueprints which are located in a corporation owned location will find the new SKINs in their HQ deliveries hangar. Ships will not move.
Skin blueprints that drop in game will become time-limited SKINs that last 30 days once activated.
Pirate ships which are skinned through blueprints that drop in-game (4 destroyers, 4 battlecruisers) will become the base ship and 1 time-limited version of the SKIN.
Any special edition ships or BPCs in the market or contracts will be cancelled and refunded the ISK it cost to put them up. The ships and BPC's will then be converted over as normal.
Codes and referral packs which reference ship skins, or skin items in your redeeming queue will provide a copy of the SKIN equivalent when redeemed.
Ship skins BPCs in your redeeming queue will be converted into SKINs in your redeeming queue.
Any SKINs in general, which are given to you under this conversion will be put in your redeeming queue."

As others have said, it'll become a license instead of an implant. Functionally, it'll be identical. The sky isn't falling.

Nothing to see here. Move along, move along.

They may look into making owned or 'activated' skins tradable in the future. Who knows. They're going to be permanently bound to the character when you 'activate' them for now per the dev blog. Maybe start a suggestion thread for being able to de-activate and sell the licenses again.

So, for now if you have an Ishukone Scorpion you're going to get the license item and the Scorpion base hull. You can still trade the license and 'collect' it. Don't see it depreciating in value. If anything these licenses are going to skyrocket in price due to people consuming some of the few remaining ones out there. Guess you can't spin it in your hangar anymore if you aren't ready for commitment though.

In regards to the Genolution implant it has always been "soulbound" on plug-in anyways. Now it is just going to come in the form of a "license" icon instead of an implant icon. It never had any "flesh" to begin with. Whether it will remain bound to you when they release the licenses is still up in the air and up to CCP. They aren't touching it this release. So, the patch featuring the pod skin license could un-plug it and send it to the redeeming system or it could automatically go into your 'activated' licenses. We won't know until further iterations of the skin system and more information is given.

Regardless, at least these treasured items and skins will finally see usage rather than remaining hangar queens for the rest of their existence. And if their value is measured in ISK by their owners rather than sentimental attachment then it shouldn't matter what form the item takes. If someone has any real attachment to the item I'll bet they'll be happier they can actually fly the skins now without risking millions and billions of ISK needlessly.

So, please calm yourself. The SKIN system works for everyone.

Nothing is being lost. You will be able to trade the skin just as you could trade the implant.
If you reduce it right down pretty much the only thing that might change is the icon in game, and they could possibly even keep the same icon for the skin.
It is just as collectible as it originally was, just as trade able. The sky is not falling down. There is nothing to fear but fear itself.

As to letting characters unplug it - possibly I guess but not because they made a conscious CCP decision, but more because of the way they are implementing the skin swap across the board. If you have a fancy ship right now you will get a plain ship and a skin in the redeeming queue. If the existing implant gets treated like this, then yes it will act like a free one time unplug. CCP would have to put extra work in to prevent a free one time unplug.
From the dev blog.

"Any SKINs in general, which are given to you under this conversion will be put in your redeeming queue."

Given the implant persists past podding you do not have to worry about being podded between now and the patch.
This is NOT true for fancy ships, if a fancy ship gets exploded between now and the patch YOU WILL LOSE THAT SKIN.