CCP Games knows what it’s like to manage a well-connected and largely active player community. For nine years the Icelandic game maker has stewarded the player-driven experience in Eve Online, one of the longest running MMO games of all time. Eve is known to have a vibrant player base the same way the cantina on Mos Eisley has a vibrant bar crowd. Players live out their fantasies as interstellar empire-builders, rebels and pirates, and they have a knack for creating legendary game events that generate real-world response. Last year, they orchestrated in-game protests and blockades against the introduction of micro-transactions. They succeeded.
CCP is now expanding the Eve universe with Dust 514, a free-to-play game also largely driven by player experiences. Currently in beta testing, the PvP shooter is not only set in the world of Eve but connected to events in Eve Online.
In this exclusive interview, CEO of CCP Hilmar Petursson discusses how connected gaming and an empowered player community are what’s made Eve endure, and what should help Dust become its next chapter.
