hilmar-petursson posts

CCP Games 'PLEX Aid for Haiti' initiative to help Red Cross relief efforts

by James Egan Jan 29th 2010 at 9:00PM

Filed under: EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry

The devastating January 12 earthquake which struck the Republic of Haiti claimed many lives, and has left even more people homeless. It's a terrible situation, but at the very least there are numerous aid efforts underway, and some companies in the MMO industry are finding ways to help as well. CCP Games now ranks among them, with their PLEX Aid for Haiti initiative. The company is offering a way for the EVE Online playerbase to get involved and help with donations.

Here is the message from Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, in its entirety:

Tags: ccp, ccp-games, ccp-hellmar, charity, donations, eve, eve-online, haiti, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, isk, plex, relief-efforts

EVE Fanfest 2009 highlights

by James Egan Oct 5th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, DUST 514

The biggest player gathering of the year for EVE Online fans is EVE Fanfest, held annually in the CCP Games hometown of Reykjavik. Some interesting announcements of what's to come have been made over the past few days, as well as more details or clarification on previously announced aspects of both EVE Online and DUST 514.

Read on for a few highlights of the info revealed at EVE Fanfest 2009 for the game and the IP beyond the Dominion expansion (slated for a December 1st launch):

Tags: atli-mar-sveinsson, ccp-games, dominion, dust-514, eve-fanfest, eve-fanfest-2009, eve-online, hilmar-petursson, nathan-richardsson, noah-ward, oveur, player-gathering, reykjavik, sci-fi, shanghai, torfi-frans-olafsson

Watch "Another Perfect World" live in Metaplace at 3 PM ET here on Massively

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 10th 2009 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Video, Culture, Events, in-game, MMO industry, MetaPlace, Academic, Virtual worlds

"Another Perfect World", a documentary featuring some of our favorite MMO developers, is going to be shown today in Metaplace at 3 PM ET, 12 PM PT. Jump in with other virtual users and watch the video live via streaming connection, all from the comfort of your home computer.

The documentary focuses on the creation of virtual utopias and how man strives to create the perfect world, even if it's only a virtual one. Speakers in the documentary include Raph Koster from Metaplace, Philip Rosedale from Second Life, Jae-Kyung Song from Lineage, and Hilmar Veigar Petursson from EVE Online, making this an interesting tale for many MMO users.

The best part about all of this is that you don't even have to leave Massively to jump into Metaplace! We've embedded The Stage here after the break, so you can watch the movie and chat with fellow virtual world enthusiasts (and Massively readers) right from the comfort of this very post! It can't better than that! So make the leap and continue reading to log into Metaplace and watch "Another Perfect World" today at 3 PM!

Tags: another-perfect-world, breaking, ccp, eve-online, hilmar-petursson, jae-kyung-song, linden-lab, lineage, metaplace, movie-screening, ncsoft, philip-rosedale, raph-koster, second-life, streaming-movie, virtual-worlds

CCP Games reveals new EVE Online console MMO: DUST 514

by James Egan Aug 18th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, Consoles, MMOFPS, DUST 514

CCP Games CEO Hilmar Pétursson delivered a keynote presentation at GDC Europe in Cologne today, and unveiled the project their Shanghai studio has worked on for the last three years: DUST 514, a console MMOFPS set in the EVE Online universe.

Massively speculated in the past that CCP's hiring of console developers was in connection with either the EVE Online FPS or the World of Darkness MMO. The timing of the DUST 514 trademark registration led us to believe this would be the game title announced at this week's GDC event.

So then, what is DUST 514?

Tags: breaking, ccp-games, communities, community, consoles, dust, dust-514, eve, eve-online, fps, gdc-europe, gdc-europe-2009, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, lore, mmo-industry, mmofps, new-titles, sci-fi, sovereignty

The Daily Grind: What is this mystery project at CCP Games?

by James Egan Jun 19th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Horror, Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, The Daily Grind, Consoles, World of Darkness

We know that CCP Games, creators of EVE Online, is going to announce a new project at GDC Europe in August. As CCP acquired White Wolf, creators of pen-and-paper RPG titles like Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf (the World of Darkness setting), we've known for some time that a World of Darkness MMO is in the works. Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the project exists at some stage of development, we know very little. But this mystery project announcement might not be about WoD at all. We're also aware that CCP Games has plans to release a first person shooter based on the EVE Online IP, which they hinted at during EVE Fanfest 2008.

The latest info we've found about a new project at CCP Games (via @crazykinux) is a job listing at CCP for a Senior Game Engineer. The successful applicant "will join a seasoned team based in Shanghai, China where they will work on original IP for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3." The listing also mentions development on the Unreal Engine.

Regardless of whether they're planning to unveil World of Darkness Online or an EVE Online first person shooter, you don't need to be an EVE player to appreciate how cool either of these releases could be. What game do you think CCP is going to announce at GDC Europe?

Tags: ccp-games, console, consoles, eve-online, first-person-shooter, gdc-europe, gdc-europe-2009, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, horror, pen-and-paper, playstation-3, ps3, rampant-speculation, rpg, sci-fi, shanghai, tdg, the-daily-grind, unreal-engine, white-wolf, world-of-darkness, world-of-darkness-online, xbox-360, xbox360

CCP Games CEO to announce new project in GDC Europe keynote

by James Egan Jun 11th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Hilmar Pétursson, the CEO of CCP Games, will keynote Game Developers Conference Europe 2009 in Cologne, Germany. The event runs from August 17 through the 19th at the Cologne Congress Center East. Hilmar's keynote will focus on how CCP Games rose from being a small Reykjavik-based studio with an obscure niche title to becoming a success story in the MMO industry with the growing popularity of EVE Online, now running studios in Atlanta and Shanghai, as well as their hometown of Reykjavik.

Perhaps the biggest news here is the reveal hinted at in the CCP Games press release: "As a testament to the industry's potential for growth despite widespread economic turmoil and as an inspiration for up-and-coming independent studios, Pétursson will give an exclusive first look at the company's latest project, which is currently in pre-production." We can only assume this is the World of Darkness MMO, but it could very well be a closer look at Walking in Stations or any of the other projects CCP announced at last year's Fanfest. Regardless of what this new project is, we won't know for sure until August.

Tags: atlanta, ccp-games, china, eve, eve-online, fps, game-developers-conference-europe, gdc, gdc-europe, gdc-europe-2009, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, iceland, keynote, mmo-industry, reykjavik, shanghai, walking-in-stations, world-of-darkness

Beckett Massive Online Gamer names Top 20 individuals in the MMO industry

by James Egan May 28th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

In what's now become an annual event, gaming magazine Beckett Massive Online Gamer has put together a list of the most influential people in the MMO industry.

Blizzard's Rob Pardo has taken the #1 spot, as he did in 2008, which should come as no surprise to anyone, really. But Beckett has named Hilmar Pétursson of CCP Games as the second most influential figure in the MMO industry (up from #4 last year), with SOE's John Smedley, Jack Emmert from Cryptic Studios, and Mark Jacobs from Mythic Entertainment rounding out the top 5.

In addition to the major, established industry names you'd expect to see on the list, there are 10 newcomers this year, including Todd Coleman from KingsIsle Entertainment, studio director for Wizard101 which recently hit the milestone of 2 million unique users.

While Beckett Massive Online Gamer makes the list available online, the magazine offers background on each individual and how they've influenced the future of the industry.

Tags: beckett, beckett-massive-online-gamer, blizzard, ccp-games, cryptic-studios, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, jack-emmert, john-smedley, kingsisle-entertainment, magazines, mark-jacobs, mmo-industry, mythic-entertainment, rob-pardo, soe, sony-online-entertainment, todd-coleman

Dates for EVE's next expansion, retail launch confirmed in video interview

by James Egan Jan 6th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Expansions, Interviews, MMO industry

Hilmar V. Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, has given a rather softspoken video interview with Gamereactor on where the sci-fi title EVE Online is today, and what's on the horizon. The interview seems intended for those who haven't played the game before -- as Hilmar gives an intro to the game and its single world setting -- or perhaps gamers who haven't gotten their feet wet in a massively multiplayer online game yet, as he highlights some of the benefits of incorporating more social aspects into video games.

Hilmar gives some history of the company, discussing how CCP Games has grown into having nearly 400 employees at present, with 300 of them focused on the next expansion and its retail launch (in partnership with Atari). The next expansion -- which will include Tech III and wormhole exploration -- will go live on March 10th, and EVE Online will appear on retail shelves on March 12th. Check out the video interview over at Gamereactor for more on the upcoming EVE expansion.

Update -- embedded video below the cut:

Tags: ccp, ccp-games, eve, eve-online, expansions, exploration, gamereactor, hilmar, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, interviews, mmo-industry, sci-fi, single-world, tech-3, wormhole-exploration

CCP Games and Atari partner on EVE retail box sales

by James Egan Nov 8th 2008 at 12:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Events, real-world, Expansions, MMO industry

When EVE Online launched in 2003, it came in a box through the game's publisher, Simon and Schuster Interactive. But for much of EVE's lifespan, it's been a digital product. Nothing to buy at a store, no physical media to save. It seems CCP Games has gone retro, from what was announced by CCP's CEO Hilmar Pétursson today, live from EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik. He announced that CCP Games will be partnering with Atari to establish a retail presence once again... which is fitting really, as Atari will also be publishing Ghostbusters. Hilmar introduced a short presentation by David Gardner, Atari's CEO, who discussed the partnership with CCP Games.

EVE typically has a winter expansion and a summer expansion. The winter expansion, Quantum Rise, is just days away. The summer expansion is expected (but not confirmed) to include Walking in Stations, only there's a little twist with the timing... They're not waiting for summer. It's coming in March. In a box. In your local game store. That's the information we have at this time, but we'll keep you informed as more details surface.

Update: Note that we haven't locked down a release date with Walking in Stations yet. Massively will report on Walking in Station's official release date once that's available -- at this time we only know it's tentatively slated for 2009.

Tags: ambulation, atari, box-sales, breaking, ccp, ccp-games, ccp-hellmar, david-gardner, digital, eve, eve-fanfest, eve-fanfest-2008, eve-online, expansions, hilmar-petursson, quantum-rise, walking-in-stations

EVE Fanfest 2008 keynotes broadcasting live, November 8

by James Egan Nov 7th 2008 at 3:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, MMO industry, News items

EVE Fanfest 2008 is in full swing in Reykjavik, but fans of the game who can't make that trek to Iceland this year have let out a collective grumble that EVE TV isn't streaming live content, as they have in prior years. Rather, the EVE TV team is recording the events and interviewing players, with the aim to make the video footage available to everyone after Fanfest. But for those who really want to connect with what's happening in Reykjavik now, CCP Fallout announced another way for players to listen in:

"For those pilots who are unable to warp to Fanfest this year, we are please to announce that we will broacast t0rfifrans's and Oveur's keynote addresses live in-game. Those of you who would like to listen in should join the 'Live Dev Blog' in-game channel on Saturday, 8 November at 13:00 GMT."

We've also gotten word that CCP Games CEO Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) will be delivering a keynote at 15:00 GMT on November 8th, which will also be broadcast live. As with all of the Live Dev Blogs, players need only activate audio via the right click menu to listen in on the keynote presentations.

Tags: ccp, ccp-fallout, ccp-games, ccp-hellmar, ccp-t0rfifrans, eve, eve-fanfest, eve-fanfest-2008, eve-online, eve-tv, eve-voice, fanfest, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, iceland, keynote, keynotes, live-dev-blog, oveur, reykjavik, vivox

CEO of CCP Games addresses EVE's continuity through turbulent times

by James Egan Oct 16th 2008 at 5:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Business models, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Rumors

Recent world events and their impact on global finance threaten to have dramatic consequences on the game industry. While an economic downturn isn't something to be taken lightly, it is unique in comparison with similar problems in the past -- now real world economic issues can potentially ripple into virtual economies, just as they certainly impact the companies who create MMOs and virtual worlds. CCP Games, founded in Reykjavik, Iceland, is a case-in-point.

There has been commentary and speculation among EVE Online's playerbase and in the media about how Iceland's economic woes may impact the game. The CEO of CCP Games, Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) addresses these concerns in his dev blog, "Born Global."

Tags: bank, banking, banks, business-models, ccp, ccp-games, ccp-hellmar, dev, dev-blog, economy, eve, eve-64, eve-fanfest, eve-fanfest-2008, eve-online, eve64, fanfest, gbp, hilmar-petursson, hilmar-v-petursson, iceland, isk, mmo-industry, reykjavik, rmb, sci-fi, stacklessio, usd

The New York Times finds EVE Online intriguing

by Samuel Axon Nov 28th 2007 at 9:30AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, News items

The New York Times published an article on EVE Online this morning. NYT writer Seth Schiesel focused on EVE's growth and emphasis on player freedom.

Hilmar Petursson (CCP's CEO) told Schiesel in a phone interview that there are "basically two schools of thought for operating an online community. There is the theme-park approach and the sandbox approach. Most games are like Disneyland, for instance, which is a carefully constructed experience where you stand in line to be entertained." He said that CCP takes the sandbox approach, creating a world where players are free to define their own experiences.

The article also describes the current political climate in EVE Online's worth, including the Band of Brothers blueprints scandal and other things. If you're already an EVE player, you won't find anything new in the article, but if you're not, it's bound to be an eyebrow-raising read.

Tags: article, band-of-brothers, bob, ccp, eve, eve-online, hilmar-petursson, new-york-times, nyt, scandal, seth-schiesel

Trinity to be released first week of December

by Mike Schramm Nov 5th 2007 at 7:40PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, Patches

We got an official release date for EVE Online's next expansion, Trinity, at the FanFest over the weekend. If you're an EVE player, make sure to leave the first week of December open, because that's when you'll be playing with all the cool new ships and updates in Trinity. Of course, the fun starts tomorrow, when Revelations.2.3 arrives, but in just a month from now, we'll have access to Trinity (the new name of what used to be Revelations 3).

GamesIndustry also has an interview up with CCP CEO Hilmar Petursson, who tells them that the old graphic engine isn't actually going anywhere-- players will be able to switch from old to new via the configuration screen ingame. There's also a new ingame concurrency record-- it's a whopping 37,200 players all in one game (I think all of them were in Jita yesterday afternoon, because it was horrible there). Petursson also gives feedback on CCP's decision to hire a real-life economist to help them with the player-driven economy-- apparently "he's validated some of our assumptions, but he's also shattered a lot too." Man, I'd love to sit in on a few of those meetings.

Mark your calendars: Trinity is coming the first week of December. And unless you change that setting, EVE will never look the same.

Tags: ccp, concurrency, economist, eve-online, eve-trinity, hilmar-petursson, interview, revelations, trinity