EVE Online is often described as a niche game because it is not easy to get back into. CCP Games has now announced the active player numbers, and they look pretty good.
How many active players does EVE Online have? According to CCP Games CEO Hilmar Petursson, 300,000 players actively play the MMORPG every month. This is approximately the entire population of Iceland.
These are quite good numbers for an MMORPG, especially for one that focuses on PvP and does not cater to casual gamers due to its complexity.
EVE Online is not stagnating
Are there new players? According to Hilmar Petursson, it’s not just veterans playing. He says EVE Online is not stagnating, even though the MMO might give that impression. There is a very loyal fanbase that remains dedicated to the game for many years. However, new players also regularly find their way into the online game.
About 10,000 new players are expected to join each week. However, many of them do not stay for long. Therefore, CCP Games wants to gradually modernize the player experience.
The technology is outdated
What is the problem? The MMORPG is now 16 years old. The underlying technology shows signs of aging, especially during the mass battles that become a slideshow.
According to Hilmar Petursson, it was never planned for 5,000 or 6,000 players to be involved in a single battle. This only developed over the years as player-led organizations emerged and wars broke out.
Hilmar Petursson explains that 5,000 concurrent players are just about acceptable, but 6,000 already exceeds the limit.
What is being done about this problem? CCP Games wants to improve EVE. To this end, the company briefly collaborated with the startup Hadean to jointly enhance this experience. However, this was only an experiment, with more to follow until a way is found to offer a modern EVE.
There can be no EVE Online 2
What does the future hold? Hilmar Petursson compares working on EVE Online to building and managing an entire city. That is why it is not easy for CCP Games to work on further EVE games, such as the online shooter Project Nova. Taking care of a city and ensuring it runs is already difficult enough.
Building a second city and connecting both is even harder. For this reason, there can also be no EVE Online 2. The “city” must run and continue to develop.
