In May 2003, the MMORPG EVE Online went online for the first time. That was over 20 years ago, and that’s exactly what the developers celebrated together with the fans at Fanfest 2023 in Iceland. Our author Mark Sellner was there and on the trail of the question of what makes the game so captivating even after 20 years that thousands of people watch every day as their ships are destroyed.
“EVE Online is not just a game, it is a community and a society in itself.” With these words, CCP Hellmar, CEO of EVE, opens the closing ceremony of the Fanfest. Just two days earlier, I arrived in Iceland and got to take a tour of the developer’s buildings.
Right above the entrance, the inscription reads, “We create virtual worlds that are more meaningful than real life.” In the 48 hours between, I had plenty of time to watch talks and analyses, and to talk to fans. I wanted to find out why the space sandbox EVE Online can still excite even after 20 years.
That it still does is beyond question. Over 1,200 fans and 250 developers traveled to the biggest Fanfest that EVE has ever celebrated in Iceland. Even the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, gave a speech to welcome the space heroes of EVE Online.
EVE is known for massive battles, villains, betrayal, intrigue, and … friendship?
I have been reporting here on MeinMMO for some time about EVE Online and the stories happening in the community there. It’s usually about brilliant plans to betray others and cause them harm.
Whether a thief steals 20,000 € with in-game stocks, thousands of Euros are lost in just 13 hours because over 6,000 players simultaneously shoot each other, or whether a guild invests 10 months just to topple a massive player organization. Stories in EVE are as numerous as stars in the sky.
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Often, the “nasty” and “evil” are in the foreground, but on a smaller scale, there’s more behind it. The secret of EVE Online is the friendships it can create. The developers at CCP even go so far as to call EVE a “friendship machine.” And although some of the viewers have shot each other hundreds of times in the game, everyone seems to agree.
On stage, a CCP employee begins his presentation with the words “Every friendship in EVE begins with…” and the crowd collectively shouts: “a kill.” Later, a fan explains to me that many contacts start when a new player is cold-bloodedly shot down by a veteran.
However, it often happens that this person then messages you afterward and explains why you were just shot down. Some even go so far as to replace the destroyed ship. That’s how friendships in EVE Online begin, and not a few of them.
About 72% of EVE players who have played the MMORPG for over 10 hours report having found at least one new friend in space. The developers proudly present this statistic because it makes the game special. While many MMORPGs rely on community, rarely does it function as successfully as in the expanses of New Eden.
This strong focus on the community and the players is clearly reflected in many decisions made by the developers. True to the motto “If we don’t do it, you’ll do it anyway. So we’ll do it,” says Creative Director CCP Burgur in the deep dive into EVE Vanguard.
The love for the community becomes clear when you notice the massive EVE statue in the heart of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland and the headquarters of CCP. It was expanded for the 20th anniversary and bears the names of all EVE pilots who have ever had an Omega membership. Over the last 20 years, this has accumulated hundreds of thousands of names.
Whether tyrant or pope, at the Fanfest, everyone belongs together
Some players on site, with whom I spoke, have been there from the beginning. This is not surprising, as the average number of play hours for Fanfest visitors is a relaxed 7,600, as I am told by CCP.
In all this time, solid societies form in the community, shaped by prominent individuals. This includes the annually elected “Council of Stellar Management,” in which players can vote for 12 other players to work with the developers for a year to make the right decisions for EVE.
But less game-defining figures have also emerged from the community itself, such as the Space Pope Max Singularity. He actually originated from a meme, but now stands for unity in New Eden. It even goes so far that he married a player couple at the Fanfest 2018.
On the other side of the spectrum are people like The Mittani, who is well-known in the world of EVE Online. He led one of the most powerful and evil factions in New Eden into battle for more than 10 years. However, whether good or evil, both of these personalities, who exemplify many others, shape the world and the players of EVE Online.
I knew most of these stories before I arrived at Fanfest and, after so much rivalry among the factions, assumed it would be similar on site. But I was surprised.
Although most fans on site wore insignias like clan emblems or colors, by the last evening, symbolically everyone was hugging and celebrating themselves, each other, and the game itself.
I witnessed how members of rival corps and developers themselves sang and had fun together. The “friendship machine” seems to actually work. Even if a friendship in EVE often begins with being shot down by the other.
More power to the players, new games in the universe of New Eden, and the foundation for new friendships
I would also claim to have found more than a few new friends through Fanfest. Whether other authors on site, enthusiastic players who are setting up their own EVE accounts for the birth of their children, or developers. I spoke with many and connected sustainably, and this despite hardly coming into contact with the actual game itself.
In the future, it should be even easier. Because the announcements at Fanfest indicate that EVE wants to broaden its reach and reach more people. One part of this will be the new expansion Havoc, which focuses on giving players even more power and space.
Also, the shooter in the EVE universe, Vanguard, could expand the potential target audience for the MMORPG. Because the past 20 years seem, according to the developers and fans, just the beginning.
In speeches and presentations, developers often talk about the “next and next decade” instead of the next year. They want to focus on building good foundations for the future and creating something together that is bigger than any individual, as CEO Hilmar states.
EVE should “last forever”. That it at least has the potential to do so, I realized when I spoke with fans who are younger than EVE Online itself. To achieve this, CCP wants to expand the universe of EVE Online beyond Vanguard and EVE itself.
With Galaxy Conquest, a new 4X mobile game in New Eden (via CCP) will soon launch, and even a board game was introduced at Fanfest.
So is the community the secret behind 20 years of success? At least that’s how the developers see it. And not just them: scientists rely on the community in EVE’s Project Discovery to advance research in cancer and Covid, and successfully so.
Even a museum exhibition about the history of the EVE community is set to open soon in Madrid, as announced at Fanfest. The exhibition itself will also be organized by the players.
After three days in Iceland, I personally experienced that the community and the opportunities given to them make EVE Online successful. The MMORPG itself is simply the framework for what the players create. And there are practically no limits to that. “The only true sandbox,” as a fan described it in a conversation with me. In which the developers can keep pouring more sand with tools and expansions.
What do you think? Have you ever found friends in EVE Online? Have you been around for 20 years yourself? What do you think lies behind the fascination of EVE? Feel free to write it in the comments here on MeinMMO.
MMORPG EVE Online turns jokes about Excel spreadsheets into reality – and all players love it
