EVE Online's next era was unveiled at this year's EVE Fanfest in Reykjavik, Iceland, as CCP Games laid out the content roadmap for players. The roadmap includes shifting the quadrant updates to Arcs, bringing about what the devs call 'consequential story events,' and much more.
During today's Keynote at EVE Fanfest, the Icelandic developer laid out their vision of what the MMORPG will do to evolve into its third decade of operation. As CCP describes it, Arcs, one of the major additions coming to the sci-fi MMO, will help to flesh out and evolve EVE's storytelling, bringing about narrative events that have "consequential" outcomes on New Eden.
Arcs are the next iteration of the Quadrant update system CCP Games was implementing previously, with the first Arc fleshing out the storyline and background of one of EVE's great NPC empires, the Caldari.
CCP Games likens the events to what players experienced during the Invasion years, with the culmination of the establishment of the Pochven region, permanently altering the map of New Eden.
Via the press release:
“EVE is getting ready to enter its third decade and the future has never been brighter,” Bergur Finnbogason, EVE Online’s Creative Director, said. “With arcs, we’re setting EVE up for the next chapter with a steady stream of narrative-driven content that emphasizes player actions and decisions. Veterans of the Triglavian Invasion may recall the fall of Pochven that altered trade routes and supply chains across New Eden - the narratives coming with arcs can have similar effects. The upcoming stories and events aren’t restricted to veterans, though - with more activities coming soon to the new player experience, all Capsuleers can enjoy EVE’s arcs, regardless of their skill level.”
Also announced are additions to the New Player Experience, with the AIR Career Program. Additionally, for players looking to bling out their player structures, CCP is bringing SKINs to make Stations look even better. EVE is also looking to continue working on improving the look and feel of the MMO, with audio and visual overhauls, increased level of detail, and more.
Briefly touched on during the EVE Opening Ceremony was the unannounced project from CCP London. Not much is known yet, other than it is a tactical online shooter, but we should be hearing more in the future. This isn't the first time CCP has looked at building a shooter, the most recent being Project NOVA which was canceled by CCP Games.
Finally, leaning into the meme that EVE Online is a spreadsheet simulator, CCP Games has gone all-in with a partnership with Microsoft Excel, giving players the ability to have even more data at their fingertips. This will allow players to export user data such as battle strategy to market profit margins.
We'll have more from Fanfest as the weekend continues, so stay tuned to MMORPG.com for more.
Full Disclosure: Travel and accommodations to Fanfest were provided ````````````by CCP Games.
