For many, EVE Online isn’t just a game – it’s a sprawling alternate universe, a living sci-fi tapestry shaped by thousands of players. This year, Reykjavik’s EVE FanFest 2025 threw open the airlocks to over 5,500 fans, promising a look at the next chapter in the EVE saga. Over three days, the city’s pubs, streets, and even its monuments pulsed with EVE’s signature mix of camaraderie and cosmic intrigue as CCP Games revealed ambitious projects like EVE Legion, gave hands-on access to the much-anticipated EVE Vanguard, and lifted the curtain on the divisive, blockchain-powered survival game EVE Frontier.
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Publisher | CCP Games |
| Release Date | TBA (Frontier), TBA (Vanguard), TBA (Legion) |
| Genres | Space MMO, Survival, Shooter |
| Platforms | PC (Frontier, Vanguard, Legion) |
The mood was jubilant – and just a bit anxious. For two decades, EVE Online has thrived as a sandbox MMO where betrayal, business empires, and epic fleet battles coexist. FanFest 2025 was both a celebration of that storied history and a showcase of CCP’s appetite for risk — and innovation.
The headliner? EVE Frontier, a survival game set on the ragged edge of New Eden. Players wake as Riders — freshly cloned, resourceful survivors thrown into a sector haunted by the failures of past colonization. Every move, from scavenging debris to launching into the void, bleeds precious energy. CCP wants survival to feel grueling, with death (and item loss) always a looming threat. It’s a brutal vision, more The Expanse than classic EVE, demanding careful planning for even the shortest trips between stars.
What truly sets Frontier apart isn’t just its survival mechanics but its blockchain-powered economy. CCP argues this technology isn’t a sales gimmick, but a digital “physics layer” — aiming to outlast even their own servers with a partially decentralized future. Skeptics, especially EVE veterans, worry this blurs the line between innovative longevity and a crypto cash-grab, recalling the gaming industry’s mixed history with blockchain experimentation. Still, CCP insists: Frontier isn’t marketed as a blockchain game, but as a survival sim that leverages blockchain for persistence and transparency.
Amid the controversy, CCP doubled down on their MMO roots with two more projects. EVE Legion, a major expansion for the original EVE Online, aims to deepen the core game’s drama and complexity. Meanwhile, EVE Vanguard offers a first-person shooter experience in the New Eden universe, blending the high-stakes contracts of Escape from Tarkov with Destiny 2’s fireteam gunplay. The hands-on demo at FanFest revealed a gritty, objective-driven warzone — a stark shift from the spreadsheets-in-space stereotype EVE is known for.
CCP’s bold bets could pay off — or alienate some purists. EVE Frontier’s blockchain backbone might crack open fresh possibilities for digital persistence, or it could become another footnote in gaming’s crypto experiments. What’s clear: the EVE universe is anything but static. Whether you’re a die-hard capsuleer or a sci-fi newcomer, FanFest 2025 proved that CCP is still willing to rewrite the rules of space gaming — for better or for worse.
TL;DR: EVE FanFest 2025 in Reykjavik set the stage for massive changes in the EVE universe, unveiling Legion (new expansion), Vanguard (Destiny-like shooter), and the controversial blockchain survival game Frontier. CCP is betting big on innovation, risking both excitement and skepticism among fans. The future of New Eden has never looked more unpredictable.
Source: CCP Games via GamesPress