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 explored the question of what makes the game so right even after 20 years that thousands of people watch spellbound 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, introduces the farewell ceremony of the Fanfest. Just two days before, I landed in Iceland and was able to take a tour of the developers’ buildings.
Directly above the entrance is the inscription “We create virtual worlds that are more meaningful than real life”. In the 48 hours or so in between, I had plenty of time to watch presentations and analysis and talk to fans. I wanted to find out why the space sandbox EVE Online can still inspire even after 20 years.
Because there is no question that she still does that. Over 1,200 fans and 250 developers traveled to Iceland for the biggest fan festival EVE has ever celebrated. Even the President of Iceland himself Guðni Th. Jóhannesson gave a speech to welcome the space heroes of EVE Online.
EVE is known for huge battles, villains, betrayal, intrigue and…friendship?
I’ve been reporting here on MeinMMO for some time now about EVE Online and the stories that happen in the community there. These are usually brilliant plans to deceive and harm others.
It doesn’t matter whether a thief steals €20,000 in in-game shares, thousands of euros are lost in just 13 hours because over 6,000 players shoot each other’s heads at the same time, or whether a guild invests 10 months just to overthrow a huge player organization. Stories in EVE are as numerous as stars in the sky.
The “nasty” and “evil” are often in the foreground, but on a smaller level there is more to it. Because 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 even though some of the spectators have shot each other hundreds of times in the game, everyone seems to agree.
On stage, a CCP employee begins his talk with the words “Every friendship in EVE begins with…” and the crowd chants in unison: “a kill.” A fan later explains to me that many contacts begin with a new player being shot down in cold blood by a veteran.
However, it often happens that they then write to you and explain why you were shot down. Some even go so far as to replace the destroyed ship. This is also how friendships begin in EVE Online, and there are quite a few of them.
Around 72% of EVE players who have played the MMORPG for more than 10 hours say they have made at least one new friend in space. The developers proudly present these statistics because they make the game special. Although many MMORPGs rely on community, it rarely works as successfully as in the vastness of New Eden.
This strong focus on the community and players is evident in many of the decisions the developers make. True to the motto “If we don’t do it, you’ll do it anyway.” So we’re going to do it,” said Creative Director CCP Burgur in the deep dive on EVE Vanguard.
The love for community becomes clear when you notice the huge EVE statue in the heart of Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland and headquarters of CCP. It was expanded for its 20th anniversary and includes the names of every EVE pilot who has ever had an Omega membership. Over the last 20 years, hundreds of thousands of names have come together.
No matter whether you are a tyrant or a pope, people belong together at the fan festival
Some local players I spoke to have been there from the start. That’s not surprising, because the average number of hours played by Fanfest visitors is an easy 7,600, as CCP tells me.
During all this time, solid societies are formed in the community, which is shaped by influential people. This includes the annual elected “Council of Stellar Management”, in which players are allowed to choose 12 other players who then work with the developers for a year to make the right decisions for EVE.
But the community has also created characters that are less crucial to the game, such as the space pope Max Singularity. It was actually created from a meme, but now stands for cohesion in New Eden. This even goes so far that he married a player couple at the 2018 Fanfest.
On the other side of the spectrum, people like The Mittani are well known in the world of EVE Online. He led one of New Eden’s most powerful and evil factions into battle for more than 10 years. But regardless of whether they are good or evil, both of these personalities, who are exemplary for many others, shape the world and the players of EVE Online.
I knew most of these stories before I arrived at the Fanfest and, after so much rivalry between the groups, I assumed that it would be similar on site too. But I was surprised.
Although most of the fans on site wore identifying symbols such as clan crests or colors, by the last evening at the latest everyone was symbolically hugging each other and celebrating themselves, the others and the game itself.
I witnessed members of rival corps and developers themselves singing together and having fun. So the “friendship machine” actually seems to work. Even though a friendship in EVE often begins with being shot down by the other person.
More power for the players, new games in the universe of New Eden and the foundation for new friendships
I would also say that I made more than a few new friends through Fanfest. It doesn’t matter whether it’s other local authors, enthusiastic gamers who create their own EVE accounts for their children when they’re born, or developers. I spoke to many people and networked extensively, even though I had little contact with the actual game itself.
This should become even easier in the future. The announcements at the Fanfest indicate that EVE wants to expand its scope and reach even more people. Part of this will be the new Havoc expansion, which focuses on offering players even more power and even more freedom.
The shooter in the EVE universe, Vanguard, could also expand the potential target group for the MMORPG. Because, according to the developers and fans, the 20 years so far seem to be just the beginning.
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In speeches and lectures, developers often talk about “the next decade and the decade after that” instead of next year. You want to focus on building good foundations for the future and creating something together that is bigger than each individual, says CEO Hilmar.
EVE should remain “forever”.. I realized that it at least has the potential to do so when I spoke to fans who are younger than EVE Online itself. In order to achieve this, CCP wants to expand the universe of EVE Online beyond Vanguard and EVE itself enlarge.
In this sense, Galaxy Conquest, a new 4X mobile game, will soon be launched in New Eden (via CCP) and even a board game was presented at the fan festival.
So is the community the secret behind 20 years of success? At least that’s how the developers see it. And not only that: As part of EVE’s Project Discovery, scientists are relying on the community to advance research into cancer and Covid, and to do so successfully.
Even a museum exhibition about the history of EVE’s community is soon to open in Madrid, as announced at Fanfest. The exhibition itself is also organized by the players.
After the 3 days in Iceland, I learned firsthand that the community and the opportunities they are given make EVE Online successful. The MMORPG itself is just the framework for what the players create. And there are practically no limits. “The only true sandbox,” as one fan described it in conversation with me. The developers can pour more and more sand into this with tools and extensions.
how do you see it? Have you ever made friends in EVE Online? Have you been there for 20 years? What do you think is behind the fascination of EVE? Feel free to write it to us in the comments here on MeinMMO.
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