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In a recent funding round, CCP Games, the studio behind the widely popular community-driven space MMO, EVE Online, has secured $40 million in funding with Andreessen Horowitz as the lead investor.
The goal of this new funding is to develop a new AAA game set within the EVE universe, which will feature on-chain systems that emphasise persistence, composability, and open third-party development. The result will be a new relationship between virtual worlds and players.
CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson has been fascinated by the potential for blockchain technology to revolutionise user ownership and open economies in the gaming industry. Pétursson took to Twitter to announce the company's intention to make a new "AAA" blockchain game set in the same Eve universe.
Excited to announce that we are working on a new AAA title set in the EVE Universe, utilizing blockchain technology. Thank you to @a16z and our other participants for believing in our vision. To keep updated about our new game, register at https://t.co/rT1k0QeGBk
— CCP Hellmar (@HilmarVeigar) March 21, 2023
He explained that the new game would combine CCP's 25 years of game design experience with the latest blockchain technology to empower players in a way that has not been seen before.
Interestingly, Pétursson remarked that the market for blockchain games was too small for CCP to take any action in 2022, but the potential of a blockchain game becoming a true "killer app" in the future cannot be ignored.
The new AAA title will leverage smart-contract blockchain technology and expand the EVE universe, with Andreessen Horowitz noting that CCP has already made great progress in product development.
Ubisoft and Square Enix have also entered the Web3 world, indicating that the industry is paying close attention to blockchain gaming and the integration of NFTs into a game's ecosystem.