Listen To A Bunch Of EVE Online Nerds Go Wild Over An Official Excel Collab

“Data is massively important to many advanced playstyles in EVE, and by simplifying the access to data for all, we will level the playground when it comes to the tools of the sandbox,” Finnbogason said. “With Microsoft, we’re building an extension that will allow players to lock in and pull data directly into Excel.”

“It’s not April Fools,” Finnbogason added as a prototype demo played out behind him, just to make sure the crowd understood this wasn’t an elaborate prank. “This is real.”

The implications of this Excel collaboration are huge. While the built-in tool won’t suddenly make day-old EVE Online players as experienced or knowledgeable as its most dedicated spacefarers, being on even footing when it comes to collating, managing, and comparing data should go a long way toward making sure newcomers don’t burn out when the economic realities of the game start piling up.

EVE Online’s Excel extension is still early in development, but CCP Games plans to share more later this year.