That's not to say they're sitting around flying their spaceships. CCP is actively working to expand. "We will be going directly after some new markets very shortly with localized versions of the game client, and the next one will be a German version," Magnus says. Following that will be other languages and linked marketing campaigns. "We will maintain our single-server design, as that was our vision and there is no reason to change from that." With one exception: China. "China is a special case, due not only to rules and regulations but also internet connectivity issues."
Existing EVE players will also find themselves drawn further into CCP's web. They have plans for a handheld client for portable devices, so players can work the station markets from work, school or possibly the Moon (assuming they get reception). "It started as a test which grew into a much larger project when we realized the potential of it. Basically, we want to give players the ability to access their accounts remotely. You will, of course, not be doing any fleet battles on your mobile, but you can access skills, markets and other station services from your phone. This is, of course, the first version, and we will continue to expand on this in the future." We also saw some artwork and cards for the upcoming EVE CCG, and they are absolutely beautiful, though combining the addictive potential of MMOGs and CCGs might be more of that Icelandic evil.
Shifting the conversation to the setting, I ask why they chose space. After the demise of Earth & Beyond, EVE is the only large-scale, space-based MMOG on the market. The answer is, partly, business. "Fantasy has in the past been the safe bet for game developers and, with the high cost of development of a new MMOG, this is where investors want to put their money," Magnus says. "It is clearly much more challenging to create a sci-fi MMOG than a fantasy-based MMOG. Fantasy has been the traditional form for this genre and amazingly enough it continues to be so, even though sci-fi has been traditionally much more popular in other mediums."
"Earth and Beyond wasn't for everybody, and EVE certainly isn't, either. There are upcoming space titles which are slated to be more mainstream and have more mass appeal and it will be interesting to see how they fare."
In the end, though, it's not all about EVE. "CCP has very ambitious plans for the future and, of course, we will not be a single game company. Still, we are dedicated to continue at full force developing for EVE and its brand name. It would be foolish for us not to use all the talent and experience we have gathered to create other games. That is about as much as I can say as I know my fellow CCP'ers will read this, and, I didn't like the last tar and feather treatment I got!"
Shannon Drake likes commas and standing out in the rain.
