In a newsletter directly from the CEO of EVE Online's development firm, CCP Games, the future of blockchain technology on the Tranquility server is brought into question. Among the growing trend of video games utilizing blockchain technology, there has been much speculation regarding its potential as part of EVE Online's robust and complex economy.
EVE Online is certainly no stranger to pushing the boundaries of gaming technology. The spacefaring MMORPG first broke ground all the way back in 2003, hosting a massive population of capsuleers (EVE's space pilot population) on a single shared server, Tranquility. With an economy entirely operated by player resource gathering, refining, manufacturing, and logistics, as well as its sandbox approach allowing all sorts of political intrigue and corporate espionage, EVE Online is a unique experience if players can manage to surpass the steep learning curve and stake a claim among its 7,800 star systems.
In the newsletter, CCP Games' CEO, Hilmar Veigar Pétursson (more commonly known as CCP Hellmar) addressed the speculation surrounding blockchain technology. CCP Hellmar cited EVE Online's longstanding radical and ambitious nature, and his desire to explore new technologies and possibilities. He admitted that although the team at CCP Games has been following the blockchain and cryptocurrency trends over the last few years, player feedback has aligned with the team's conclusion that blockchain technology needs a lot of work before it'll be ready for a game of EVE Online's scale. "For us," CCP Hellmar went on, "NFT stands for 'Not for Tranquility.'"
CCP Hellmar rarely takes it upon himself to directly address the player base unless it's an important matter, with most news updates being posted by the EVE Online team. The last time a news post was signed directly by CCP Hellmar, it was back in March to pledge CCP Games' support for Ukraine amid the growing conflict in the region. CCP Games had launched a "PLEX For Good" program which promised to match donations from the EVE Online community up to a total of $250,000. It's significant that he chose to personally address the subject of blockchain technology.
There is some precedent for EVE Online integrating outside technology into its world. Project Discovery is an in-game initiative that has capsuleers participating in real-world scientific discovery. When Project Discovery first launched, players could participate in somewhat of a mini-game that was actually helping scientists identify proteins within human cells. The following iteration of Project Discovery involves players analyzing graphs of stellar luminosity, which is the process of discovering real-world exoplanets orbiting in front of stars. It's certainly possible for EVE Online to adopt some form of blockchain technology with real-world implications.
The blockchain trend in gaming has seen somewhat of a boom in the last few years, with many projects attempting to adopt the technology in various forms. Ubisoft has begun developing "play to earn" blockchain games, Konami has been experimenting with NFTs, and GameStop is launching an NFT marketplace. A major setback for the concept occurred when games using blockchain were been banned from the widely popular distribution platform, Steam. Another popular distribution platform, itch.io, went as far as to declare that "NFTs are a scam." The technology is the focus of much controversy as supporters and opponents continue to make cases for and against its uses.
EVE Online is available on PC.
Source: EVEOnline.com