A more complete interview transcript.
August 25, 2006 - EVE Online is CCP's popular, award-winning persistent state universe that takes place thousands of years in the future. The discovery of a stable natural wormhole made it possible for humanity to cross the immense vastness of space to a region so distant that the stars in the sky were completely unfamiliar. Naming the area where they arrived New Eden, the first explorers set about exploring rapidly in every direction. Countless others soon followed in their wake. They established thousands of colonies, many of which were not yet fully self-sufficient when the sudden, unexpected collapse of the gateway cut them off completely from all contact with Earth, including much-needed supplies. As a result, most of the outposts did not survive; some failed almost immediately, while others managed to endure on the brink of extinction for centuries or even millennia before succumbing.
Among those that lasted, five achieved the status of major powers. Now known as the Amarr Empire, Gallente Federation, Caldari State, Minmatar Republic and Jovian Empire, they have co-existed in relative peace. Despite the inevitable differences of opinion and occasional minor skirmishes, they have always tempered their actions by remembering that the consequences of an all-out inter-stellar conflict would be severe for all, no matter which faction, if any, might emerge victorious. Ironically, the game's history took a similar path. It showed considerable potential early on, then lost access to important resources when its original publisher left the business. CCP took on that role itself, struggling for some time before EVE attained delayed success. We had the opportunity to catch up on the company, its intriguing project and what lies ahead for both by questioning Chief Marketing Officer Magnus Bergsson.
Jonric: For those who are unfamiliar with EVE Online, what distinguishes it from other massively multiplayer online games, and what kind of player does it best fit?
Magnus Bergsson: EVE Online is a science fiction massively multiplayer online game, while most others are fantasy-based, and that by itself is a big differentiator. However, the biggest difference is probably in the gameplay. EVE Online is very much a PvP-based MMOG that has incredibly open-ended gameplay. Most others follow the more traditional path of instanced PvE, where the game presents pre-determined content to the user.
EVE is totally different. There is almost no handholding, and the player has the freedom to experience the game in multiple ways. This latitude brings with it a much deeper game experience and a true sense of reward because the experience is a result of the player's own work. EVE is therefore ideal for those who want to put their own imaginations to work.
Jonric: When did EVE launch? What kept it from doing as well as you would have liked initially, and to what do you attribute the success it's experiencing now?
Magnus Bergsson: EVE was released in the middle of 2003. It was far from being ready then, which was one factor that delayed its success. Another important one that had an impact on the game's initial growth was that the publisher at the time closed shop. CCP was left to start distributing the game on our own, and this created a major gap in EVE's sales as people simply could not get their hands on it. It was then that we started online distribution and marketing, which made it an even more challenging time.
Now, things have changed around; EVE is doing quite well and is continually gaining more and more fans. CCP is one of very few independent MMOG developers, and we feel this is one of the key factors in the success of the game. We are involved with every aspect of the game, so I guess it is a bit more personal for us, and it also gives us the freedom to do what we feel is best for the game, not for a publisher. We also have to thank our community, which simply has been and is one of our strongest promoters. They stood by us when things were tough, and kept us on track. For that, we will be forever thankful.
Jonric: How and why did CCP take on role of publisher for EVE? What drawbacks have you experienced as a result? And do you have any interest in being acquired?
Magnus Bergsson: When our publisher closed shop, we were lucky enough to be able to purchase back the publishing rights, which we did. This was a very challenging time for CCP since EVE wasn't available in stores and no marketing had been performed by the publisher. The truth is that we just sat down and were pretty sure we didn't want to deal with another publisher at that point. Therefore, we looked into online distribution, decided that was the way of the future, and that it was what we wanted to do. There have really been no major drawbacks except that we missed out on promoting the game when it came out. The level of freedom we have by not having a publisher is worth more than anything else, and there is absolutely no interest in being acquired by one.
Jonric: How much have you expanded the game since it went live, and what are the most important additions and improvements in that time?
Magnus Bergsson: CCP has released about two major expansions every year plus multiple smaller ones in between. It is important for us to continually improve EVE, and to provide new content, and we are committed to continuing to do so. EVE is really just starting; there is so much more ahead - if you only knew! These expansions have brought so much into the game that I would need 10 pages to just list them. They have all been quite different, and it depends on what role you have taken within the game as to which of them you would consider the most important.
Jonric: Aside from the expansion content referred to in the previous question, what would you rate as the most significant change?
Magnus Bergsson: Interestingly, the biggest thing that has come into the game from launch is the concept of alliances, and it was the players who came up with this, not CCP. It was never in our design to have them, but the users saw the benefit, and now we have alliances with thousands of people all working together toward a common goal. The effect on the gameplay in EVE is phenomenal. This is a great example of how much impact the players have within EVE; they truly run the game and not the other way around.
Jonric: What is EVE's subscriber base, and how much of it is in North America where it hasn't always been very visible in the gaming media?
Magnus Bergsson: EVE currently has 170,000 active subscribers who all play in the same game universe since EVE is not sharded. The largest concentration is in the US, which accounts for about 43 percent of all of our users. Even though we might not be as visible as some big name games and companies, we have done a considerable amount of marketing there. I think the difference is that our marketing has been highly targeted, and often somewhat different from what some of the other companies have done.
We have also had a good relationship with the press, and have always only tried to talk about things that we think are real news instead of filling a monthly press release quota, so I believe that has given our announcements a bit more weight in general. On top of that, we know that many in the industry itself play EVE, and they, along with our community, have helped us spread the truth.
Jonric: Since the player-driven economy is a major part of what differentiates EVE, what would you like our readers to know about this vital element?
Magnus Bergsson: Readers should know that almost everything in EVE is built and sold by players, not NPCs. For a big game like ours, where everyone is in the same game universe, that has, of course, created the biggest economy in the history of MMOGs. Still, the economy is only one part of the game, and only those interested in trading and manufacturing are directly involved in it, even though it affects everyone. As EVE continues to grow, the market gets more and more dynamic and increasingly competitive. We have added more sophisticated tools for traders and manufacturers, like remote buying and selling, remote manufacturing, and historical market charts to name a few.
Jonric: Since EVE isn't the same game it was at launch, what do you regard as its current core strengths that will serve as the foundation for the future?
Magnus Bergsson: At the base of it all is the free and open game design that empowers the player to have true impact. In the middle, we have enormous depth of content, which allows users to experience and play the game as they see fit for themselves. Then, on top, we have stuck with our vision of a single shard game design, which by itself creates a far more complex and interesting game than the traditional sharding design. It is impossible to pick out features by themselves as it is all relative to the way you play the game.
Jonric: What kinds of new things can players expect within the next few months, say by the end of this year, and what else are you working toward?
Magnus Bergsson: At the end of the year, we expect factional warfare to be the biggest feature, since it not only creates a setting for less experienced PvP pilots to fight for the empire factions, but improves all warfare in EVE. This includes new player infrastructure and improvements to the current structures, stations and solar system sovereignty, new tools and, of course, weapons!
What we're seeing in the coming months is player contracts, where we have escrow, auctions, item exchanges and loans, which will let you do some nifty contracts, like "bring your own materials" deals. This enables enforceable deals in limited trust relationships, and allows corporations to create simple missions for its members, which can then be tracked to see how much you have done for yours.
We have improvements to the user interface that will improve your situational awareness, such as the new seamless map views, improved solar system scanning, which is now used for more rewarding explorations of the new hidden sites all over the universe, and finding enemy ships. Invention is also coming, allowing you to achieve a foothold in the Tech 2 industry, which has been a challenge in the past.
There are also more general additions coming like shipwreck salvaging. We wanted all NPC and player ships to leave wrecks, and to add more ship variety. Shipwrecks will be salvageable for parts from which you can create new ship upgrades, called Rigs, and that should add new, mainly defensive, twists to your ships.
We then have the usual batch of fixes, improvements and optimizations; it's important for us to balance between that and new stuff. It all needs to work because MMOs are living, breathing worlds. As part of this balancing, we have the large projects, which we haven't been in a position to do like we wanted, until now.
EVE has grown, and so has the team around it, enabling us to achieve more while still having resources available for optimizations and improvements. We're seeing the opportunities to introduce planetary interaction, dog fighting in large hollow asteroids, and even walking in stations.
Jonric: What are you willing to tell us about the kind of vision you have for the long-term evolution of EVE?
Magnus Bergsson: We believe that you should be able to interact with everything you see in the universe. It should have its place, and its own important role within the economic and industrial ecosystem. As you can imagine, we have a long way to go to achieve that, but this just means we'll be delivering expansions to EVE for at least the next 10 years!
EVE Online will continue to evolve, and one day, gamers will be able to step out of their spaceships into a whole new dimension of gameplay. Flying over planets is also a feature we have been looking at for a long time. There are many things we want to add to the game in the future, but of course, the limiting factor is always going to be human resources.
Jonric: How did you come up with the idea to make an EVE collectible card game, and who actually created it?
Magnus Bergsson: Our collectible card game, called EVE: The Second Genesis, which we launched recently at Gen Con, started as a small project done by one person. We thought it would be something fun to sell in our online store. It has grown considerably to say the least, and has become a fully independent product within CCP, managed by very experienced card gamers. The main designer is Petur, who deserves much credit along with our founder, Reynir, and the whole graphics department at CCP. Then, later on, when it has become even more successful, I will, of course, claim all the credit for it - hey, marketing rules!
Jonric: What led to the recent opening of a CCP office in Shanghai? What makes you feel EVE can succeed in the China, and do you intend to enter other Far East markets as well?
Magnus Bergsson: We needed to get rid of some people at CCP, so we tricked them into moving to China - who knew that would work? It also made sense for us to have an office in Shanghai close to our partner in China, Optic. China is a fantastic market that is evolving so fast we wanted to be a part of it. Of course, we have no real idea how successful EVE will be there as it is such a different game from the traditional Korean PvE ones that have been hits there. Shanghai is also a good location from which to manage other Asian markets, and we are going to enter more when we find the right partners to work with.
Jonric: Why should gamers who have either never played EVE try it now? And why should those who left consider returning for another look?
Magnus Bergsson: EVE offers a very deep and personal game experience, so if you are looking for more advanced gameplay, then I would think they would want to give it a try. It's rather easy to try out since we offer 14-day trials on many websites, and we don't require credit cards to activate them. There is always something new to see and do. Most people leave due to real life issues, and not because of the game itself, so a large portion of them come back actually.
Jonric: To wrap up the interview, are there other important aspects of EVE Online that you'd like to discuss?
Magnus Bergsson: Be aware that EVE is a highly addictive game, and if you survive through the first two weeks and actually "get" it, then you are in for one heck of a ride.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk about CCP and EVE Online with your readers.
EVE Online has experienced one heck of a ride over the past several years. We first learned about it in the spring of 2000, even before it had an official website. The underlying concept held considerable potential, and the CCP team, while inexperienced, was exceptionally enthusiastic. We're very pleased to know that having surmounted some hurdles since then, the game is moving forward nicely, and we thank Magnus Bergsson for enlightening us in this regard.
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