EVE Online, one of the most prominent massively multiplayer role-playing games featuring a sci-fi universe, is heading to smartphones.
That's right. Developer CCP Games has officially announced a new spinoff of EVE Online called Project Aurora, with a full global roll-out due in 2018 for iOS and Android devices. PlayRaven, a Finnish mobile games developer, is in charge of development. The game will employ a free-to-play model.
Finnish Game Studio PlayRaven Is Working On 'Project Aurora'
Project Aurora isn't the first game outside of the EVE Online franchise, with Dust 514 and Valkyrie already being one of the first titles in the expanded universe, but Project Aurora is notably the first one headed to mobile. The game will share the same universe as EVE Online, but it will not be integrated with the MMO title, as Engadget reports, meaning there won't be any sort of cross-play between the two games.
"It's really a dream come true to have the opportunity to create a new EVE experience on mobile," said Lasse Seppänen, PlayRaven's CEO and cofounder, in a statement.
According to Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, the company has been trying for years to port the EVE Universe to mobile devices in a way that will not only please fans but also make excellent use of mobile devices as a platform.
CCP Games wanted to find a partner who is first and foremost passionate about EVE Online, has a good track record of creating mobile games, and can build new experiences on mobile.
"PlayRaven fit the bill perfectly," said Pétursson.
What Is 'Project Aurora'?
According to the game's official description, Project Aurora tasks players to work together to dominate the center of the galaxy and become the most powerful corporation in the universe. It also says the game will be a "massively multiplayer mobile universe" and come brimmed with "epic players stories." From this, it's safe to gather that Project Aurora will focus on creating multiplayer experiences but also prioritize storytelling.
News that Project Aurora will be free-to-play is no surprise since the game it's spun off also recently switched to this model. In November 2016, the developer made EVE Online free-to-play, possibly in an attempt to reinvigorate the aging game, as The Verge puts it.
"We've been doing everything we can to bring more people into our spectacular sandbox," the company said at the time. Going the free-to-play route will likely cause players to check Project Aurora out and decide if they'd want to spend money on extra items, weapons, and such later on. This is usually the case for free-to-play titles, similar to Fire Emblem Heroes.
Thoughts about EVE Online and Project Aurora? Thrilled for the upcoming title? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
