MTV MULTIPLAYER: ‘EVE ONLINE’ NOT COMING TO CONSOLES, BUT POSSIBLY IPHONES

The lead designer of “EVE Online” talked to me about how his game holds up against other upcoming space MMOs. He also shared plans to connect “EVE” players on handheld devices and a Facebook-like social networking site.

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Released in 2003, “EVE Online” is about to launch its 10th free expansion “Apocrypha.” Lead designer Noah Ward of CCP Games stopped by last week to show me what’s new in the space MMO, and I also wanted to know just how “EVE” continues to thrive in this economy.

He said that they’ve continued to see increasing subscribers since launch, except at the end of last year. “That’s when we went into overdrive and started making this expansion,” he explained. Though the company typically does two expansions a year, one in the summer and the winter, “Apocrypha” is coming out this month. “So not only is this the most ambitious and biggest expansion feature-wise and the number of man hours put into it,” he said, “it’s also coming out in 75 percent of the time [it usually takes].”

“In this economic crisis we’ve been seeing a lot of people being laid off, while here at CCP we’re actually hiring.”

Ward credits this to the streamlined process that the company’s developed, as well as cutting back on other projects. “In this economic crisis we’ve been seeing a lot of people being laid off, while here at CCP we’re actually hiring,” he said of the Iceland-based company. “‘EVE’ is our core breadwinner, and we’ve dropped a lot of side projects, but we didn’t just fire all those people, we said ‘What can you do for ‘EVE’ and how can you make ‘EVE’ a better game?”

The designer also said that the economy hasn’t affected its subscriptions. “It may have even helped because if people are laid off that means they’re at home with nothing to do!” he added.

Although “Tabula Rasa” is now shuttered, there are still forthcoming space MMOs to look out for — namely titles like “Jumpgate Evolution” and “Star Trek Online.” I asked Ward if he thought these games might take away “EVE” players.

“‘EVE’ is more of the older thinking man’s game, and ‘Jumpgate’ is the more ‘pew-pew-pew’ space shooter that’s going to appeal to a much younger audience.”

“I don’t think they’ll really rob players from us,” he replied matter-of-factly. “They are sci-fi and they’re in space, but the actual philosophy those games have is so different from ‘EVE.’ ‘EVE’ is more of the older thinking man’s game, and ‘Jumpgate’ is the more ‘pew-pew-pew’ space shooter that’s going to appeal to a much younger audience. ‘Star Trek’ is sort of the same formula as all the other MMOs: you got your dude and you go on mission with a couple other people, and it’s really storyline-based and just very different from ‘EVE.’ We do see our players playing more than one MMO though.”

And although console MMOs are becoming the new trend, “EVE” players shouldn’t expect to pick up a controller anytime soon. Instead, Ward revealed that CCP is currently focused on having “EVE” on other platforms — like mobile phones. “We obviously looked at the console space because it would be silly not to consider it,” he said, “but ‘EVE’ is such a deep game that the gameplay doesn’t really lend itself to sitting on the couch with a controller. What we’re more interested in is augmenting ‘EVE’’s gameplay in the handheld space, like iPhone or Smartphone [applications] that let you check your skills or that sort of thing.”

“‘EVE’ is such a deep game that the gameplay doesn’t really lend itself to sitting on the couch with a controller.”

Other projects that CCP is working on is a social networking site called Cosmos, which Ward described as “Facebook for your ‘EVE’ character,” where players will be able to upload screenshots and link their character with their corporation and alliance. Ward also promised that there will be a calendar and other applications to keep players connected to “EVE” wherever they are. CCP also plans to work on an “EVE-lite” client, which would not only let players do everything they normally could in the game (outside of space exploration), but also stay connected via chat.

Not to mention the the 11th expansion that’s due out before the end of the year; Ward says it will most likely be out this winter, though they haven’t picked out a name for it yet.

Until then, the “EVE Online” expansion “Apocrypha” is out on March 10. It will be available online as well as in stores with 60 days’ game time and an in-game collectible ship as a vanity item.