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EVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012

Brendan Drain — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Expansions, Game mechanics, PvP, News items, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox

The annual EVE Online Fanfest is starting to become a major event in the gaming calendar, thanks to CCP's partnership with Sony and the addition of DUST 514 and World of Darkness talks to the event schedule. This year, CCP flew gaming journalists to the event to give the press hands-on time with DUST and demonstrate the game's impressive realtime integration with EVE Online. Massively, unfortunately, is not permitted to accept such travel stipends, which meant that we couldn't produce in-depth coverage and interviews as we did last year, so instead we've pieced together information from the talks that were streamed to viewers at home.

The theme of this year's Fanfest was unmistakably DUST 514 and its integration with EVE Online. Attendees got first-hand experience with DUST 514 and a free pass to enter the beta in April. There was even a live demonstration of the EVE-DUST link during which a battleship delivered an air strike directly into a DUST match in realtime. There were several talks on EVE's upcoming Inferno expansion and its PvP revamp, with details of new modules and gameplay designed to shake up the PvP landscape for the first time in several years. Players report leaving Fanfest this year with a very real sense that CCP is back on track and recovering from the aftermath of Monoclegate.

In this week's colossal EVE Evolved, I piece together some of the information from EVE Fanfest 2012 and consider what it means for EVE players.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012

EVE Evolved: New info from Fanfest 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2012: The Firing Line's PlanetSide 2 and DUST 514 redux

Jef Reahard — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Opinion, Free-to-play, MMOFPS, DUST 514, PlanetSide 2, Sandbox, The Firing Line

This week I was fortunate enough to chat up the developers on the two biggest MMOFPS titles of the year. Exactly what year that is remains to be seen, and after hearing Sony Online Entertainment use the word "alpha" quite a lot, I suspect that PlanetSide 2 may slip into 2013. And that's not a bad thing at all, by the way.

CCP's DUST 514, on the other hand, is surely coming in 2012. The devs will be doling out some long-awaited hands-on time with EVE's precocious little brother at Fanfest in a couple of weeks, and while DUST and PS2 share similar core gameplay, their target audiences (and the general feeling I get from each game) are completely different.

Continue reading GDC 2012: The Firing Line's PlanetSide 2 and DUST 514 redux

GDC 2012: The Firing Line's PlanetSide 2 and DUST 514 redux originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GDC 2012: CCP talks DUST 514 PC possibilities and World of Darkness development

Matt Daniel — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Interviews, News items, World of Darkness, DUST 514, Sandbox

GDC 2012 is now in full swing, and today we had the chance to sit down with CCP's Hilmar Petursson, Halldor Fannar, and David Reid to chat about the studio's upcoming FPS title, DUST 514. When asked about the studio's primary goal with DUST 514, the team had a simple reply: Make the best AAA free-to-play shooter possible. But is it coming to the PC?

While many EVE Online players aren't thrilled with DUST 514's PlayStation 3 exclusivity, there may be hope for a PC release yet. And while the devs weren't ready to make any official statements on the spot, a bit of wink-nudging indicates that a PC release may still be in the cards. As the devs note, mouse and keyboard controls are already supported in the PS3 version of the title. "I wonder why we did that," Hilmar joked during the interview.

Continue reading GDC 2012: CCP talks DUST 514 PC possibilities and World of Darkness development

GDC 2012: CCP talks DUST 514 PC possibilities and World of Darkness development originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP: DUST will offer a 'more intuitive' EVE experience

Jef Reahard — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox

Rock, Paper Shotgun has a new interview with CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson and CMO David Reid. The pair have a few interesting nuggets to share about DUST 514 and EVE Online, as well as how the two games are related.

Petursson says that initially, DUST mercenaries will not be riding the proverbial space elevator into orbit to parlay with their capsuleer counterparts in EVE. As in the eight-year-old spaceship MMO, though, the design will evolve and change, and "the two experiences are going to be more and more crafted over time."

The interview also also posits that DUST's accessible shooter design may lead new players into the world of New Eden in spite of EVE Online's legendary learning curve. "EVE is a very particular type of experience, made for people who want to commit a lot of energy to have a game experience like that," Petursson explains. "Over the years we've seen a lot of people interested in the EVE universe, the single shard and the political drama, but [they] might not be particularly looking for an experience like the game itself. We see DUST as a way to allow people to participate in this universe by offering them a more intuitive, familiar, speedier, quicker, shorter time-commitment type of experience."

CCP: DUST will offer a 'more intuitive' EVE experience originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP touts EVE growth, considers IPO

Jef Reahard — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox

Despite the commonly held belief that 2011 was a disastrous year for CCP and EVE Online, the firm recently told TechCrunch that its sci-fi sandbox game brought in $66 million in revenue last year.

The website reports that EVE's revenue features a compound annual growth rate of 53 percent, and the title has also generated $300 million in total revenue since its 2003 launch. Interestingly, the article avoids all mention of 2011's Monoclegate brouhaha and the resulting player protests that led CCP to refocus its development plans. It also paints a rosy picture of New Eden's future, and CCP head honcho Hilmar Petursson says an IPO is a possibility.

"We want to be ready for an IPO from a policy standpoint," he explains. "We're quite a substantial company, so we're thinking, OK, what is the next step?"

CCP touts EVE growth, considers IPO originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview confirms World of Darkness dev team, predicts DUST 514 sales

Brendan Drain — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: EVE Online, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, World of Darkness, DUST 514

When CCP Games laid off 20% of its worldwide staff back in October of last year, the World of Darkness dev team bore the brunt of the cuts while DUST 514 continued on course for its launch later this year. In an interview over at TenTonHammer today, CCP's new Chief Marketing Officer, David Reid, joined CEO Hilmar Petursson to discuss the development of both games. Hilmar reveals that a team of 60 developers are currently working on WoD, and that DUST 514 will be playable at this year's EVE Online fanfest event in March.

Despite acknowledging that the entire PlayStation Network comprises a total of 60 million users, Reid asserts that DUST will bring "tens of millions of people that play shooters on PSN into the New Eden universe," going on to make the bold statement that "EVE could be the biggest game in the world at the end of 2012" as a result. Reid also claims that "EVE Online is the only game in the West that has shown consecutive growth year after year," a statement that's sure to upset RuneScape developer Jagex and others. The statement also comes with a slightly bitter note as this year EVE may have lost its record of continual subscription growth during the summer drama.

Interview confirms World of Darkness dev team, predicts DUST 514 sales originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514

Jef Reahard — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Mobile, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514, Sandbox

DUST 514 is somewhat revolutionary in that it's attempting to tie together two separate games (on two separate platforms) that take place in the same fictional universe. CCP is also innovating on the backend according to a new article at Develop.

The upcoming EVE Online MMOFPS tie-in will establish universal PlayStation Network microtransaction rules according to CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson. Petursson told Develop that the ongoing CCP/Sony negotiations will ultimately result in the establishment of price tiers for virtual items as well as the revenue split between Sony and third-party devs.

CCP is also exploring retail options for DUST 514, despite early reports that the title would only be available as a digital download. Finally, Petursson tells Develop that the PlayStation Vita version of DUST will "give people access to more asynchronous parts of the game." While he doesn't commit one way or the other, it's possible that the portable version of the game will connect to both the PlayStation 3 and PC versions via EVE's universal ISK currency.

Sony, CCP 'negotiating PS3 virtual item policy' for DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012

Brendan Drain — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Expansions, MMO industry, Previews, PvP, Opinion, MMOFPS, EVE Evolved, DUST 514, Sandbox

Following the summer drama that came to be known as monoclegate, the past six months have been challenging for EVE Online's players and developers alike. When players learned that cash-shop clothing was priced higher than its real-life equivalent, the quirky story of the $80 monocle swept across gaming blogs like wildfire. The story's tone soon turned a great deal more sinister with the leak of an internal company newsletter titled Greed is Good, and a second leaked memo from CCP's CEO added more fuel to the flames. Ultimately, players spoke with their wallets; subscriptions fell by at least 8%, and with no financial backup plan, CCP was forced to lay off 20% of its staff worldwide.

The staff members who remained were faced with the task of turning things around, and with the feature-packed Crucible expansion, they did so spectacularly. In just a few short months, hundreds of high-profile features, graphical overhauls, and quality of life improvements breathed new life into a neglected universe. I think most players recognise that this has been a genuine turn-around from within CCP, but some are still skeptical that the company has really reformed. The question on everyone's mind is whether CCP can really keep up this quality of development in the coming year as it delivers two full expansions and integrates EVE with DUST 514.

Perhaps nobody is better qualified to assess that than CSM delegate and former CCP game designer Mark "Seleene" Heard, who recently attended the December CSM summit and witnessed first-hand the aftermath of monoclegate and Crucible's development.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into Mark's CSM Summit report to find out how development at CCP has changed, what we can expect in 2012, and how monocle-gate has affected CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012

EVE Evolved: Development on EVE in 2012 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: The human casualties

Brendan Drain — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, World of Darkness, EVE Evolved, DUST 514

This time last year, EVE Online developer CCP Games was an untouchable powerhouse in the games industry. In addition to servicing around 350,000 EVE subscribers, the company was also developing the World of Darkness MMO and the full scale MMOFPS DUST 514 set on the planets of EVE. Everything seemed to be going fine, but with the release of Incarna at the end of June, CCP faced the biggest crisis in the company's history. Due to a series of missteps and internal leaks that has come to be collectively known as Monoclegate, player confidence in CCP plummeted to record low.

Following the CEO's recent letter of apology promising a refocusing of development on in-space EVE features, news of highly requested features due for inclusion in EVE has gone a long way toward restoring confidence in CCP as a developer. With the return of ship spinning earlier this week and news of updates from hybrid turret rebalancing and implants being added to killmails to the release of the player-designed Tornado battlecruiser, the process of refocusing on EVE is well underway. Unfortunately, the good news of upcoming gameplay updates has been marred by the sobering reality that over 20% of CCP's worldwide staff have been laid off as part of the refocusing effort.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the human casualties of the recent EVE drama and speak to an insider at CCP about what's going on within the company. Unless quotes or facts in this article are specifically attributed to this insider, they are my own views and opinions based on publicly available information.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: The human casualties

EVE Evolved: The human casualties originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE CEO: 'We are back in the spaceship business' [Updated]

Jef Reahard — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, News items, Sandbox

CCP's damage control tour continues, and the latest stop is Eurogamer. CEO Hilmar Petursson recently sat down for a lengthy interview with the website and offered up what should be music to the ears of disgruntled EVE Online veterans.

"We're really focused on making kick-ass EVE expansions in the more traditional way that we've done so many times in the past. What becomes of the store and Incarna is something that's not a big priority right now," he said.

Petursson also has some interesting things to say about his own accountability during EVE's turbulent summer and the role of the player-run Council of Stellar Management. "I'm starting to get feedback from players that they worry the CSM is too pre-occupied by a certain playstyle. That might mean we may need to change the structure, but definitely the CSM has worked as a feedback tool greatly throughout the years," he explained. Head to Eurogamer for the full report.

[Update]: Petursson made similar remarks, and also touched on the recent CCP layoffs, in an interview at GamaSutra.

EVE CEO: 'We are back in the spaceship business' [Updated] originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Returning EVE players receive discount as part of CCP apology

Brendan Drain — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:15:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, MMO industry, News items, Promotions

Last week CCP Games proved that it's still an indie studio at heart when CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson issued a formal letter of apology to the entire EVE Online community. In the letter, he admitted that development had been purposefully shifted away from the in-space features players wanted. He went on to take full responsibility for the ensuing drama surrounding the forced early release of Incarna and the fumbled cash shop introduction. Hilmar then laid out plans to turn EVE's development around and set it back in a direction that current players will appreciate.

Today CCP continued show its commitment to this new development direction with a special reactivation offer for returning players. Most account-holders whose subscriptions lapsed during or before the Summer drama have been sent an email offering a special rate of $4.95 US for 30 days of subscription time. While reactivation offers like these are commonplace, this offer made a point of CCP's new-found direction and contained this concise quote from EVE's senior producer Arnar Gylfason: "A significant part of that plan is the immediate refocusing of all the EVE development teams on EVE's core gameplay: spaceships."

[Source: Reactivation discount email]

Returning EVE players receive discount as part of CCP apology originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games CEO issues letter of apology to EVE Online players

Brendan Drain — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Dev Diaries

Just over three months ago, fans of EVE Online looked on in disbelief as the game they loved faced its biggest crisis of confidence since 2007's T20 developer scandal. The long-awaited Incarna expansion was pushed live with no multiplayer environments and only one race of captain's quarters. Players were forced to use the feature every time they docked, and it seemed that its only purpose was as a display case for overpriced cash-shop clothing. While players debated the controversial cash shop prices, a leaked company newsletter titled "Greed is Good" and a leaked memo from CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson threw additional fuel on the flames.

In a letter to the EVE Online community today, Hilmar delivered a humble apology for everything that happened. "The estrangement from CCP that many of you have been feeling of late is my fault, and for that I am truly sorry," he began. "In short, my zeal for pushing EVE to her true potential made me lose sight of doing the simple things right. I was impatient when I should have been cautious, defiant when I should have been conciliatory and arrogant when I should have been humble."

The letter goes on to tackle everything from the removal of ship spinning and the release of the captain's quarters as a full expansion to CCP's plans for the future. In an accompanying devblog, CCP Zulu provided an impressive list of in-space features aimed for the winter development period. The list includes the long-awaited hybrid weapon balance changes, assault ship bonus reworks, capital ship rebalancing, and even iteration on faction warfare.

CCP Games CEO issues letter of apology to EVE Online players originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Interview with CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson discusses recent events

Brendan Drain — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Interviews, MMO industry, News items

The recent EVE Online controversy over the direction CCP is taking with the game's development took the game's developer CCP Games completely by surprise. What started as a quirky story about virtual clothing being sold for more than real clothing rapidly got out of hand with the leak of an internal company newsletter discussing previously rejected ideas for gameplay-affecting microtransaction options. The ensuing controversy quickly escalated with the convenient leak of global company email from CEO Hilmar Petursson and CCP's abject silence in response to player concerns.

CCP eventually released joint statements on the contentious issues with EVE's democratically elected player advisory council, followed by a thorough press conference to address any concerns not handled in the statements. The only person we haven't heard from yet is Hilmar Petursson himself. In an interview with gamesindustry.biz today, Hilmar answered some frank questions on recent hot topics ranging from feelings inside CCP following the leaks to the company's reasons for implementing microtransactions now.

At popular EVE fansite Failheap Challenge, players have posted a transcript of the interview and have begun discussing the issues it addresses. The discussion highlights that this interview was performed the day before the CSM met in Iceland for its emergency meeting and so represents Hilmar's views before that event. Among the important answers is confirmation that CCP has a commitment to discuss all future microtransaction options with the CSM before implementation, something players have been asking for since the initial statement came out.

Interview with CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson discusses recent events originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2

Brendan Drain — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage

It's day two of CCP's enormous party at the top of the world, and Massively is right here to find out what the future holds for EVE Online. In yesterday's day 1 roundup, we covered a fantastic presentation on Incursion by CCP Soundwave, an enlightening question-and-answer session with EVE's Council of Stellar Management, and the hilarious (but absolutely not work-safe) alliance leader panel. Today has been similarly packed with activity. We've seen some great presentations on what's to come in the summer expansion, and the keynote speech discussed some very exciting developments due to hit EVE in the near future.

Highlights of today included a video of Incarna's "captain's quarters" that we'll be getting as part of the summer expansion, details of massive server upgrades heading to Tranquility, and details of some awesome quality-of-life changes coming soon thanks to Team Best Friends Forever. There was so much awesome information to share that we unfortunately had to miss the chessboxing match to get it out in a timely manner. We missed Icelandic game developers punching each other in the face to write this up, so I hope you find it interesting!

Read on for a roundup of what happened today at the EVE Fanfest, along with detailed explanations of a few personal highlights from today's festivities and what we can expect to come later.

Continue reading EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2

EVE Online Fanfest 2011 roundup: Day 2 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games 'PLEX Aid for Haiti' initiative to help Red Cross relief efforts

James Egan — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry

The devastating January 12 earthquake which struck the Republic of Haiti claimed many lives, and has left even more people homeless. It's a terrible situation, but at the very least there are numerous aid efforts underway, and some companies in the MMO industry are finding ways to help as well. CCP Games now ranks among them, with their PLEX Aid for Haiti initiative. The company is offering a way for the EVE Online playerbase to get involved and help with donations.

Here is the message from Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, in its entirety:

Continue reading CCP Games 'PLEX Aid for Haiti' initiative to help Red Cross relief efforts

CCP Games 'PLEX Aid for Haiti' initiative to help Red Cross relief efforts originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights

James Egan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, DUST 514

The biggest player gathering of the year for EVE Online fans is EVE Fanfest, held annually in the CCP Games hometown of Reykjavik. Some interesting announcements of what's to come have been made over the past few days, as well as more details or clarification on previously announced aspects of both EVE Online and DUST 514.

Read on for a few highlights of the info revealed at EVE Fanfest 2009 for the game and the IP beyond the Dominion expansion (slated for a December 1st launch):

Continue reading EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights

EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch "Another Perfect World" live in Metaplace at 3 PM ET here on Massively

Seraphina Brennan — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Video, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, MetaPlace, Academic, Virtual worlds

"Another Perfect World", a documentary featuring some of our favorite MMO developers, is going to be shown today in Metaplace at 3 PM ET, 12 PM PT. Jump in with other virtual users and watch the video live via streaming connection, all from the comfort of your home computer.

The documentary focuses on the creation of virtual utopias and how man strives to create the perfect world, even if it's only a virtual one. Speakers in the documentary include Raph Koster from Metaplace, Philip Rosedale from Second Life, Jae-Kyung Song from Lineage, and Hilmar Veigar Petursson from EVE Online, making this an interesting tale for many MMO users.

The best part about all of this is that you don't even have to leave Massively to jump into Metaplace! We've embedded The Stage here after the break, so you can watch the movie and chat with fellow virtual world enthusiasts (and Massively readers) right from the comfort of this very post! It can't better than that! So make the leap and continue reading to log into Metaplace and watch "Another Perfect World" today at 3 PM!

Continue reading Watch "Another Perfect World" live in Metaplace at 3 PM ET here on Massively

Watch "Another Perfect World" live in Metaplace at 3 PM ET here on Massively originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games reveals new EVE Online console MMO: DUST 514

James Egan — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514

CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson delivered a keynote presentation at GDC Europe in Cologne today, and unveiled the project their Shanghai studio has worked on for the last three years: DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in the EVE Online universe.

Massively speculated in the past that CCP's hiring of console developers was in connection with either the EVE Online FPS or the World of Darkness MMO. The timing of the DUST 514 trademark registration led us to believe this would be the game title announced at this week's GDC event.

So then, what is DUST 514?

Continue reading CCP Games reveals new EVE Online console MMO: DUST 514

CCP Games reveals new EVE Online console MMO: DUST 514 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: What is this mystery project at CCP Games?

James Egan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, The Daily Grind, Consoles, World of Darkness

We know that CCP Games, creators of EVE Online, is going to announce a new project at GDC Europe in August. As CCP acquired White Wolf, creators of pen-and-paper RPG titles like Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf (the World of Darkness setting), we've known for some time that a World of Darkness MMO is in the works. Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the project exists at some stage of development, we know very little. But this mystery project announcement might not be about WoD at all. We're also aware that CCP Games has plans to release a first person shooter based on the EVE Online IP, which they hinted at during EVE Fanfest 2008.

The latest info we've found about a new project at CCP Games (via @crazykinux) is a job listing at CCP for a Senior Game Engineer. The successful applicant "will join a seasoned team based in Shanghai, China where they will work on original IP for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3." The listing also mentions development on the Unreal Engine.

Regardless of whether they're planning to unveil World of Darkness Online or an EVE Online first person shooter, you don't need to be an EVE player to appreciate how cool either of these releases could be. What game do you think CCP is going to announce at GDC Europe?

The Daily Grind: What is this mystery project at CCP Games? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games CEO to announce new project in GDC Europe keynote

James Egan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Hilmar Pétursson, the CEO of CCP Games, will keynote Game Developers Conference Europe 2009 in Cologne, Germany. The event runs from August 17 through the 19th at the Cologne Congress Center East. Hilmar's keynote will focus on how CCP Games rose from being a small Reykjavik-based studio with an obscure niche title to becoming a success story in the MMO industry with the growing popularity of EVE Online, now running studios in Atlanta and Shanghai, as well as their hometown of Reykjavik.

Perhaps the biggest news here is the reveal hinted at in the CCP Games press release: "As a testament to the industry's potential for growth despite widespread economic turmoil and as an inspiration for up-and-coming independent studios, Pétursson will give an exclusive first look at the company's latest project, which is currently in pre-production." We can only assume this is the World of Darkness MMO, but it could very well be a closer look at Walking in Stations or any of the other projects CCP announced at last year's Fanfest. Regardless of what this new project is, we won't know for sure until August.

CCP Games CEO to announce new project in GDC Europe keynote originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beckett Massive Online Gamer names Top 20 individuals in the MMO industry

James Egan — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

In what's now become an annual event, gaming magazine Beckett Massive Online Gamer has put together a list of the most influential people in the MMO industry.

Blizzard's Rob Pardo has taken the #1 spot, as he did in 2008, which should come as no surprise to anyone, really. But Beckett has named Hilmar Pétursson of CCP Games as the second most influential figure in the MMO industry (up from #4 last year), with SOE's John Smedley, Jack Emmert from Cryptic Studios, and Mark Jacobs from Mythic Entertainment rounding out the top 5.

In addition to the major, established industry names you'd expect to see on the list, there are 10 newcomers this year, including Todd Coleman from KingsIsle Entertainment, studio director for Wizard101 which recently hit the milestone of 2 million unique users.

While Beckett Massive Online Gamer makes the list available online, the magazine offers background on each individual and how they've influenced the future of the industry.

Beckett Massive Online Gamer names Top 20 individuals in the MMO industry originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 May 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dates for EVE's next expansion, retail launch confirmed in video interview

James Egan — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Expansions, Interviews, MMO industry

Hilmar V. Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, has given a rather softspoken video interview with Gamereactor on where the sci-fi title EVE Online is today, and what's on the horizon. The interview seems intended for those who haven't played the game before -- as Hilmar gives an intro to the game and its single world setting -- or perhaps gamers who haven't gotten their feet wet in a massively multiplayer online game yet, as he highlights some of the benefits of incorporating more social aspects into video games.

Hilmar gives some history of the company, discussing how CCP Games has grown into having nearly 400 employees at present, with 300 of them focused on the next expansion and its retail launch (in partnership with Atari). The next expansion -- which will include Tech III and wormhole exploration -- will go live on March 10th, and EVE Online will appear on retail shelves on March 12th. Check out the video interview over at Gamereactor for more on the upcoming EVE expansion.

Update -- embedded video below the cut:

Continue reading Dates for EVE's next expansion, retail launch confirmed in video interview

Dates for EVE's next expansion, retail launch confirmed in video interview originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CCP Games and Atari partner on EVE retail box sales

James Egan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry

When EVE Online launched in 2003, it came in a box through the game's publisher, Simon and Schuster Interactive. But for much of EVE's lifespan, it's been a digital product. Nothing to buy at a store, no physical media to save. It seems CCP Games has gone retro, from what was announced by CCP's CEO Hilmar Pétursson today, live from EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik. He announced that CCP Games will be partnering with Atari to establish a retail presence once again... which is fitting really, as Atari will also be publishing Ghostbusters. Hilmar introduced a short presentation by David Gardner, Atari's CEO, who discussed the partnership with CCP Games.

EVE typically has a winter expansion and a summer expansion. The winter expansion, Quantum Rise, is just days away. The summer expansion is expected (but not confirmed) to include Walking in Stations, only there's a little twist with the timing... They're not waiting for summer. It's coming in March. In a box. In your local game store. That's the information we have at this time, but we'll keep you informed as more details surface.

Update: Note that we haven't locked down a release date with Walking in Stations yet. Massively will report on Walking in Station's official release date once that's available -- at this time we only know it's tentatively slated for 2009.

CCP Games and Atari partner on EVE retail box sales originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Fanfest 2008 keynotes broadcasting live, November 8

James Egan — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items

EVE Fanfest 2008 is in full swing in Reykjavik, but fans of the game who can't make that trek to Iceland this year have let out a collective grumble that EVE TV isn't streaming live content, as they have in prior years. Rather, the EVE TV team is recording the events and interviewing players, with the aim to make the video footage available to everyone after Fanfest. But for those who really want to connect with what's happening in Reykjavik now, CCP Fallout announced another way for players to listen in:

"For those pilots who are unable to warp to Fanfest this year, we are please to announce that we will broacast t0rfifrans's and Oveur's keynote addresses live in-game. Those of you who would like to listen in should join the 'Live Dev Blog' in-game channel on Saturday, 8 November at 13:00 GMT."

We've also gotten word that CCP Games CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) will be delivering a keynote at 15:00 GMT on November 8th, which will also be broadcast live. As with all of the Live Dev Blogs, players need only activate audio via the right click menu to listen in on the keynote presentations.

EVE Fanfest 2008 keynotes broadcasting live, November 8 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CEO of CCP Games addresses EVE's continuity through turbulent times

James Egan — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Rumors

Recent world events and their impact on global finance threaten to have dramatic consequences on the game industry. While an economic downturn isn't something to be taken lightly, it is unique in comparison with similar problems in the past -- now real world economic issues can potentially ripple into virtual economies, just as they certainly impact the companies who create MMOs and virtual worlds. CCP Games, founded in Reykjavik, Iceland, is a case-in-point.

There has been commentary and speculation among EVE Online's playerbase and in the media about how Iceland's economic woes may impact the game. The CEO of CCP Games, Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) addresses these concerns in his dev blog, "Born Global."

Continue reading CEO of CCP Games addresses EVE's continuity through turbulent times

CEO of CCP Games addresses EVE's continuity through turbulent times originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The New York Times finds EVE Online intriguing

Samuel Axon — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, News items

The New York Times published an article on EVE Online this morning. NYT writer Seth Schiesel focused on EVE's growth and emphasis on player freedom.

Hilmar Petursson (CCP's CEO) told Schiesel in a phone interview that there are "basically two schools of thought for operating an online community. There is the theme-park approach and the sandbox approach. Most games are like Disneyland, for instance, which is a carefully constructed experience where you stand in line to be entertained." He said that CCP takes the sandbox approach, creating a world where players are free to define their own experiences.

The article also describes the current political climate in EVE Online's worth, including the Band of Brothers blueprints scandal and other things. If you're already an EVE player, you won't find anything new in the article, but if you're not, it's bound to be an eyebrow-raising read.

The New York Times finds EVE Online intriguing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trinity to be released first week of December

Mike Schramm — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:40:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches

We got an official release date for EVE Online's next expansion, Trinity, at the FanFest over the weekend. If you're an EVE player, make sure to leave the first week of December open, because that's when you'll be playing with all the cool new ships and updates in Trinity. Of course, the fun starts tomorrow, when Revelations.2.3 arrives, but in just a month from now, we'll have access to Trinity (the new name of what used to be Revelations 3).

GamesIndustry also has an interview up with CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson, who tells them that the old graphic engine isn't actually going anywhere-- players will be able to switch from old to new via the configuration screen ingame. There's also a new ingame concurrency record-- it's a whopping 37,200 players all in one game (I think all of them were in Jita yesterday afternoon, because it was horrible there). Petursson also gives feedback on CCP's decision to hire a real-life economist to help them with the player-driven economy-- apparently "he's validated some of our assumptions, but he's also shattered a lot too." Man, I'd love to sit in on a few of those meetings.

Mark your calendars: Trinity is coming the first week of December. And unless you change that setting, EVE will never look the same.

Trinity to be released first week of December originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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