EVE Online continues to mark 20 years in space, and now the game director gives a roadmap update, as well as reflects upon the other big changes from 2023.
CCP Rattati, EVE Online’s Game Director, reflects on this landmark year, and looks forward.
New changes, announcements, and celebration preparation began as the year started, and it ramped up into May when the official 20th anniversary happened. The first expansion of the year, Viridian, released in June, with a whole series of changes, including more ways to create and fulfill goals, personalize the experience, and share it. For the vets, there were ways to contribute to the anniversary memories, and also a number of firsts to celebrate, like the first Keepstar killed in high-sec.
CCP has emphasized a series of changes, including modernization efforts, and new ways to welcome others into the community, help on board new players, and new resources and tutorials to accompany an overhauled new player experience that debuted previously. There are also new ways to organize your own data, including with the Microsoft Excel option made real.
They've also returned to regular expansions, with both Uprising and Viridian releasing over the past year and another expansion is on the way. In particular, Viridian offered a number of visual enhancements, as well as additional ways to customize your experience, Corporation projects and more personalization.
“Our long-term vision is to give you more tools to facilitate these immersive experiences; not only more sand in the sandbox, but more tools to shape and move that sand around. Viridian was a key step in this direction,” the devblog reads.
What is this going to look like? FanFest 2023 will be in Reykjavik in September for the 20th anniversary celebration. There, plans for the next expansion will be revealed and more details on what the devs are working on are coming. The roadmap update that we have now says to expect an Arc event in Q3. Q4 will bring the next expansion. October 5th starts the Crimson Harvest seasonal event, and Winter Nexus will also return.
Read the full in-depth devblog at EVE Online.