EVE Online Turns 23 Today

Today is the 23rd anniversary of the launch of EVE Online. The fact a game that began development in the 20th century is still alive and kicking either says something positive about the game or negative about the video game industry. Or perhaps reality is messier and the answer is a combination of the two.

EVE is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORGP) designed at a time when the concept of virtual worlds did not require virtual reality headsets. I went down a rabbit hole and found a description on Wikipedia of a gaming genre into which the venerable space game falls.

The general formula for the space trading and combat game, which has changed little since its genesis, is for the player to begin in a relatively small, outdated ship with little money or status and for the player to gain in status and power through trading, exploration, combat or a mix of different methods. The ship the player controls is generally larger than that in pure space combat simulator. Notable examples of the genre include Elite, the X series, Wing Commander: Privateer, Freelancer, and No Man's Sky.

I know, EVE doesn't seem to fit in with those games. But the majority of those games were developed around the time CCP began developing its next game after Hættuspil, aka Danger Game. Wikipedia continued with the definition of the genre.

All space trading and combat games feature the core gameplay elements of directly controlling the flight of some sort of space vessel, generally armed, and of navigating from one area to another for a variety of reasons. As technology has improved it has been possible to implement a number of extensions to gameplay, such as dynamic economies and cooperative online play. Overall, however, the core gameplay mechanics of the genre have changed little over the years.

The technology has improved part is where CCP Games and EVE Online steps into the picture.

Some more recent games, such as 2003's EVE Online, have expanded the scope of the experience by including thousands of simultaneous online players in what is sometimes referred to as a "living universe" – a dream some have held since the genre's early beginnings. Also with massive battles, Star Citizen, a title in development by Cloud Imperium Games (headed by Chris Roberts, who was involved in Freelancer and Wing Commander), aims to bridge the gap between the EVE-like living universe game and the fast action of other games in the genre. [emphasis mine]

I did get a couple of chuckles out of that last paragraph from Wikipedia. First, thinking of the 20+ year old EVE as a more recent game. The other that the editors of the article decided to lump in Star Citizen with EVE. I'm not exactly sure how the fan bases of both games will take the comparison.

In the past I've used the words of CCP's board of directors to describe the game's past. Expecting a financial report to show up by 6 May every year is a bit much to expect as the Icelandic government doesn't post accounts to the public upon receipt of the paperwork. But the big news that hit a week before EVE's anniversary when word leaked out that CCP's management group was buying CCP Games from Pearl Abyss for $120 million. Did anyone else's thoughts flash back to the early days of EVE when CCP had to buy back the publishing rights to EVE from Simon & Schuster for $150,000?

The main thing I'm thinking about on this anniversary is the recovery the game has made over the past few years.

Through April 2026

In 2022 the daily average of accounts logged onto Tranquility was down to 18,187, the lowest total in over 15 years. Between busted up plans to introduce NFTs and other crypto-game elements to EVE and the following 33% price hike for a month of playtime, the game didn't seem like it would survive another 5 years, much less grow. But the re-introduction of the two expansion a year release cadence while still providing monthly updates has seen that average rise by over one-third over the last four years. If the developers don't commit a horrible mistake or 10 during the next two expansions, EVE is on pace to surpass both the transitions to the Alpha and Omega accounts in 2016-2017 and the lockdown year of 2020. We are potentially looking at the year with the most accounts logged onto Tranquility since 2014. And a few years ago I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to type that last sentence.

But EVE isn't EVE unless CCP Games and its CEO Hilmar are making interesting business decisions. But I have enough confidence in the game's short term outlook I plan on partaking of the current sale to ensure I'm subbed until the 25th anniversary. I'm almost subbed that long now, but I do want to ensure I'm around for that major milestone.