The next era of EVE Online was unveiled at this year’s EVE Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland, as CCP Games presented the content roadmap to players. This roadmap includes moving updates from Quadrants to Arcs, bringing what the developers call “consequential story events,” and more.
During today’s keynote at EVE Fanfest, the Icelandic developer laid out their vision for what the MMORPG will do to evolve into its third decade of business. As CCP describes it, Arcs, one of the major additions to the sci-fi MMO, will help flesh out and evolve the narrative of EVE, bringing narrative events that have “consequential” outcomes to New Eden.
Arcs are the next iteration of the quadrant update system previously implemented by CCP Games. The first arc fleshes out the story and background of one of EVE’s great NPC empires, the Caldari.
CCP Games compares the events to what players experienced during the Invasion years, culminating in the creation of the Pochven region, permanently altering the map of New Eden.
Via the press release:
“EVE is about to enter its third decade and the future has never looked brighter,” said Bergur Finnbogason, Creative Director of EVE Online. “With arcs, we’re preparing EVE for the next chapter with a steady stream of narrative content that focuses on player actions and decisions.” Veterans of the Triglavian Invasion may recall the Fall of Pochven which altered trade routes and supply chains across New Eden – the tales of the arcs may have similar effects. The upcoming stories and events aren’t just for veterans, though – with more activities coming soon for the new player experience, all Cappers can enjoy EVE’s arcs, regardless of skill level. “
Additions to the new player experience were also announced, with the AIR career program. Additionally, for players looking to armor their structures, CCP brings SKINs to make Stations look even better. EVE also wants to continue working on improving the look and feel of the MMO, with audio and visual overhauls, an increased level of detail, and more.
The unannounced CCP London project was briefly mentioned during the opening ceremony of EVE. Not much is known at this time other than that it’s an online tactical shooter, but we should find out more in the future. This isn’t the first time CCP has considered making a shooter, the most recent being Project NOVA which was canceled by CCP Games.
Finally, building on the meme that EVE Online is a spreadsheet simulator, CCP Games has partnered with Microsoft Excel, giving gamers the ability to have even more data at their fingertips. Players will be able to export user data such as combat strategy or market profit margins.
We’ll keep you up to date with Fanfest news throughout the weekend, so stay tuned to MMORPG.com for more.
Full disclosure: Travel and accommodations to Fanfest were provided by CCP Games at ““““““.