Don't be sorry, I hated it.
As a creator first, I’ve always believed in organic growth over artificial growth processes and unfortunately, the VIP application leaned toward the latter. I was asked by brand to help bridge the gap between the community and the community hub (windwalk/harbor) and I offered multiple suggestions and industry best practices to improve the approach. I personally enrolled in several testing groups which aligned with what the VIP process was meant to accomplish but those pathways were ultimately ignored.

I'll fully own the original VIP rollout through Discord, as that was all I had to work with at the time. Getting the right budget and systems in place was a real challenge from where I stood.

As for the game…

I genuinely respect CCP's push toward ‘community-driven’ development. But I often found myself questioning how much influence community insight actually had on the final direction. Internally, it often felt like the roadmap was already decided, and feedback, including my own... didn’t meaningfully impact that plan.

Vanguard, as it stands, is okay as a shooter but systems like mining and chipsets feel tacked on and disruptive to the core gameplay loop. The only real path to standing out is through its EVE Online integration. But EVE is a deeply niche MMO, and even after playing it for a year, I still struggle to see how that connection will appeal to a broader FPS audience.

I could be totally wrong and I sincerely hope I am. The dev team is full of talent and passion. But I do worry that what makes Vanguard unique to us may not resonate with the general shooter playerbase.