CCP Games Announces New AAA Game Built Around Blockchain Technology

CCP Games, the developer of everyone’s favorite spreadsheets in space MMO Eve Online, is attempting to branch out again. This time, they’ve announced “an innovative new AAA game” that uses blockchain technology is in the works. They’ve also revealed that the project already has $40 million in financing from the American venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Other backers include Makers Fund, BITKRAFT, Kingsway Capital, Hashed, and Nexon among Others.

This new game is set in the Eve universe, as has been the case with most of CCP’s projects – excluding when the company was working on World of Darkness. The currently unnamed project (Project Awakening is the name in the URL) will make use of game systems developed on-chain to create a persistent world open to third-party development.

CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson spoke about the vision for the new project saying that since the business’s inception, “CCP Games’ vision has been to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life”. He goes on to say that advancements in blockchain will allow them to “forge a new universe deeply imbued with [their] expertise in player agency and autonomy, empowering players to engage in new ways”.

The company announced the new project on Twitter and reactions are about as mixed as you’d expect. It’s worth noting, however, that based on the style of CCP Games’ projects, this is one area where, if done properly, blockchain might actually be an interesting fit for once.

We're excited to announce that we have secured $40M financing, led by @a16z, to create a new AAA game within the EVE Universe utilizing blockchain technology.

Learn more here: https://t.co/IZJlPRcZ0z pic.twitter.com/y9cqZKtt2l

— CCP Games (@CCPGames) March 21, 2023