CCP still isn’t giving up on its EVE Online first-person shooter dreams

by techlowdown · 6 May 2022

Despite having already cancelled one attempt at turning EVE Online into an FPS, developer CCP’s enthusiasm for the project apparently remains strong: it’s now confirmed that, two years after Project Nova officially got the chop, work on a new FPS continues at its London Studio.

EVE Online FPS Project Nova was initially unveiled in 2016 as a spiritual successor to CCP’s long-defunct free-to-play PS3 shooter Dust 514. Almost two years went by with ne’er a peep on the project, but then October 2018 finally brought a more extensive reveal. Unexpectedly, though, just a month later, CCP announced its intention to “return to the drawing board” with Project Nova, and 18 months after that, the game was officially no more.

Despite that rollercoaster ride, CCP said it remained committed to releasing an EVE Online FPS and that work on a new sci-fi shooter, with expanded scope, would continue at its London studio. That was more than two years ago, though, leading many to assume that the project had also run its a course.

A teaser trailer for the now-cancelled Project Nova.

Apparently not, however. During today’s EVE Online Fanfest Opening Ceremony, CCP announced (thanks PC Gamer) that the project – described as a tactical, hard sci-fi shooter – is alive and well at its London studio, and will be formally unveiled in due course.

“We recognise that a hard sci-fi FPS game set in the EVE Universe is a very popular concept and CCP is committed to offering an innovative multiplayer shooter with atmospheric visuals,” it explained, adding that, “We want to show you rather than tell you how we have evolved this concept and we’re looking forward to doing so when the time comes to reveal the game.”

It’s unclear how long it’ll be until CCP is ready to share more on its elusive FPS, but, in the meantime, the developer has also revealed several other EVE Online projects in the works.

One is a new 4X mobile strategy game set within the EVE Online universe, being developed by CCP’s Shanghai studio, and the other – perhaps bafflingly for those outside the EVE Online bubble – is an official EVE Online and Microsoft Excel collaboration, giving players an official way to scrutinise and utilise EVE Online’s dizzying wealth of data. It’ll arrive in the form of an Excel JavaSript API, which is said to be in the prototype stage at present.

“Excel feature compatibility will help players access and calculate everything from profit margins to battle strategy, making day-to-day EVE operations easier to execute,” CCP explained in a press release accompanying the announcement. “The Microsoft integration is another step toward CCP’s goal of making the MMO more accessible for both casual and seasoned players.”