General Discussion

Recently, Managing Editor Jon Wood traveled to Iceland to visit the sutdios of CCP, and attend a party to celebrate the company's 10 year anniversary. While there, he learned some interesting facts about CCP that many people might not know.

On June 3rd, Crowd Control Productions, better known as CCP, turned 10 years old, and my-oh-my how they've grown. In honor of the anniversary, I wanted to write something about the history behind CCP, and how they got from where they started to where they are today with over 200,000 subscribers worldwide.

The company was founded in 1997 by Reynir Harðarson, who wanted to make what would eventually be EVE Online. Unfortunately, as most of us know, the idea of making an MMORPG and the reality are two very separate things. The story though, of how EVE came to be is actually an interesting one, and one that should be noted in an article about the company's anniversary:

In order to help to finance the game to come, CCP, in its first three years, developed a board game. Available only in Iceland, the game was described fondly by Hilmar Petursson, CCP's CEO as a "PvP" game that could cause fights on family vacations.

By 2001, the company had raised 1.6 million dollars toward making their game, but still needed more. By the end of that same year, the team had worked two thirds of the way through the game, but were totally out of money. In the case of most companies, that would likely have been the end, however, the team stayed on - without a paycheck - for three months in an attempt to get the game done and the gamble paid off.

Read the whole article here.

By the end of that same year, the team had worked two thirds of the way through the game, but were totally out of money. In the case of most companies, that would likely have been the end, however, the team stayed on - without a paycheck - for three months in an attempt to get the game done and the gamble paid off.

Last year, 30% of all exported software from Iceland was for EVE Online.

Despite relatively minor gripes I have with this game this game is like wine - it gets better with age.

This game is the most innovative game I've ever played and I've played a lot.  Cudos to CCP.

Originally posted by Phoenixs

By the end of that same year, the team had worked two thirds of the way through the game, but were totally out of money. In the case of most companies, that would likely have been the end, however, the team stayed on - without a paycheck - for three months in an attempt to get the game done and the gamble paid off.

Wow, I didn't know that. That I must say, really impressed me. Respect.

Last year, 30% of all exported software from Iceland was for EVE Online.

Interesting

And I didn't know that they where that old , anyway gratz CCP!

"Available only in Iceland, the game was described fondly by Hilmar Petursson, CCP's CEO as a "PvP" game that could cause fights on family vacations. "

That says it all right there.

A couple of things are of interest, in the last interview the head of CCP quoted the numbers at 170k accounts and 30k trials but I have seen other reviews that quote as high as 210k. It would be interesting to see an actual breakdown of players, accounts and trials. 

The interview also glossed over the problems that arose while CCP was concentrating on getting back the rights from S&S, the whole changing of the guards’ issue where a lot of the PVE developers left for greener pastures and the current we need to funnel the players down to us in 0.0 joined. Back in 2002 CCP looked at EVE and realized that a pure PVP game would never work so they hired a few great developers to concentrate on PVE which brought to EVE such things as Mining, Missions, The Sec Rate scheme, and trade/mfg. See when the interviewer says that CCP had 75% of the game in early 2002, it had none of these ideas just flying around going Pew Pew Pew. Those that saw the first beta remember how deferent that EVE was from the Gold version, which is also almost that much difference from today’s version. Not to take anything away from what they accomplished just to clarify that it was not 75% of the released version much less today’s version.      

Which brings up an interesting point, that of divergence, had CCP not had the problems right after launch with obtaining the *rights back from S&S and thus had kept a few of the key developers (not hired the replacements) and thus had not taken the fork in the road, would EVE be as popular, more popular or less? 

*EVE very nearly closed that first year, when S&S decided to get out they had pulled the plug on the game. CCP raced over to S&S’s offices and after a long and hard negotiation bought back the rights to EVE. (Though, I hear that their first born sons are indentured to S&S for the next 30 years).