EVE Online Enters Web3
CCP Games new venture & what that means for Star Atlas
CCP Games, creator of the famous massive multiplayer EVE Online, recently announced that it’s secured $40 million in financing from external partners to build a new AAA title utilizing blockchain technology, set within the EVE Universe. This news immediately sent ripples through the blockchain community, especially Star Atlas (currently being built on Solana), as it represents a significant competitor in the development of space-based web3 games.
CCP Games is currently at the forefront of developing a fun-to-play space-themed game, prioritizing player-driven social systems, in-game economies, and self-organizing corporations. As such, the announcement of its own AAA title has significant implications. One question many have asked is how this announcement might effect web3 startups such as Star Atlas, which are being built from the ground up. How might Star Atlas look to compete against CCP Games’ $40 million traditional financing?
EVE Online and Web3 Gaming Principles
Backing up, EVE Online is a sci-fi MMO which has been in development since 2003. It’s set in a vast, open universe that allows players to create their own stories and shape their own path through trading, mining, fighting, and exploration. The game’s economy is entirely player-driven, and players can form their own corporations to compete with others for resources and territory.
These principles align closely with the principles of web3 gaming, which aim to create a fun and open gaming experience that prioritizes player agency and “implied ownership”. In some ways, you might say that traditional gaming companies could have an advantage here. They’ve already given out what players want most: The experience. Enabling true player ownership of in-game assets and the creation of decentralized economies has been something they’ve been unable or unwilling to do until now. One great challenge Web3 has going forward is to create a protective barrier between real economy and pay-to-win. After all, pay-to-win is why traditional gamers look at Web3 in such poor taste.
But Web3 startup companies like Star Atlas aim to change all of that. They’ve built their core economic principles from the ground up, without the preconceived, centralized mentality that CCP Games will be coming from. It’s still hard to know for sure, but the likelihood of Star Atlas being much more decentralized and equipped to take on Web3’s new frontier seems incredibly promising. Money doesn’t often change a company’s values and principles overnight.
Collaboration Between Big Players
Something that also needs to be said in 2023 is that for those projects that do find success in the Web3 space, there’s much more room for collaboration than there had been previously. Instead of two companies feeling the need to compete exclusively against one another, collaborations are much more likely to explode as developers find common grounds in smart contract ecosystems built from code. Therefore, the release of “Project Awakening” (which is what CCP Games is currently calling the project) should be exciting news to Web3 as well as the Star Atlas community. Open source blockchain tools being developed by “Project Awakening” may have massive benefits for Star Atlas and vice versa.
CCP Games’ DAOs could likely become unmatched in Web3 space-faring games. Experience with EVE Online gives it a unique perspective in the development of an immersive game. The company has spent years developing player-driven social systems, open economies, and self-organizing corporations, very similar to what DAOs strive to become. As such, it’s well-positioned to build a project that embodies these principles.
CCP Games Leadership and Finances
CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson has been a vocal proponent of blockchain technology since around 2017. He’s spent these last several years advocating for blockchain’s potential to enable “true player ownership” and “open and secure economies.” Pétursson’s experience with web3 gaming and blockchain technology makes him an ideal partner for a16z, the leading venture capital firm that’s invested heavily into “Project Awakening”.
The collaboration between CCP Games and a16z will also help to accelerate the development of the infant web3 community. It has the potential to establish new standards for the development of web3 gaming principles and open economies.
“Together, we share the belief that player ownership and governance within an open platform can be a key source of fun that serves to amplify great gameplay and captivating game design.” (a16z.com)
The Impact on Star Atlas
While CCP Games’ $40 million is undoubtedly a significant investment in this project, it could also have unintended consequences for ground-up web3 ventures like Star Atlas. It could be a benefit by creating a more supportive ecosystem for its own development, but it could also draw players away. Will Project Awakening players start from scratch or will its userbase be able to transfer their current EVE Online accounts to the new title? That would be quite the onboarding achievement as they’re currently sitting at 9.6 million existing accounts as well as approximately 170,000 active players.
We want to see Star Atlas succeed and believe that competition is healthy for the growth of any sprouting industry. As CCP develops this new AAA title, we will of course be comparing it closely to the current Web3 giant Star Atlas. While the partnership with a16z gives explosive potential to CCP Games’ efforts to create a groundbreaking title, we hope to see them embrace the freeing principles that Star Atlas currently embraces, rather than grasping onto the constraining technologies and greedy mentalities of the past.
It will be fascinating to see how this project evolves. As space-exploration lovers ourselves, we at Hologram News Network promise to keep you updated with the most significant Star Atlas News available and will also keep you posted as this new project unfolds. Make sure to follow us on social media for more.
About the Author
Oni Merchant is a writer on The Hologram News Network, an independent blockchain gaming meta-news organization devoted to the coverage of Star Atlas. Follow him on Twitter @OniMerchant.
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