The next free 'expansion' for EVE Online is preparing to blast off, with the countdown on for May 22. 'Inferno' doesn't bring many huge new features, but it's another fine bag of fixes, tweaks, updates and changes.

Lots of Inferno focuses on the PvP side. You'll find a new Mercenary Marketplace to hire players to do your dirty work, improved war declaration options, updated factional warfare PvP, and better 'kill reports' for all your PvP shenanigans.

There's also a dose of the pretties in new missile effects and launchers, more character creation options, and updated ship models including most of the Amarr fleet. Hit the Inferno mini-site for more information on everything coming in Inferno.

EVE was recently the site of a cunning campaign from a small group of players to shake up the economy by blowing up ships and goods in the galaxy's largest trade hub. As you'd expect, developer CCP was wildly enthusiastic about players demonstrating the wild and wonderful possibilities of its sandbox MMO.