In its first producer’s letter of 2023, CCP Games is once again talking up EVE Online’s active players, but if you’re hoping for an actual number, you won’t be getting the one you’re looking for.
“Since the launch of the Uprising expansion in November 2022, the activity in New Eden has exceeded our wildest expectations with active player counts swelling since release and – more importantly – pilots being more active in space,” the studio says, which it pretty dang vague. The only numbers here are for kills and sales: “Particularly notable has been the sharp 75% increase in PvP kills in lowsec as well as the 11% PvP kill increase in highsec despite the additional restrictions on ganking and changes to Abyssal Deadspace following the release. This has pushed industry and mining significantly, with navy ship production rising 14,709% and capital manufacturing seeing a 34% bump!”
Capsuleers should check out the whole blog, as CCP also heralds start of Lunar New Year later this month, talks up the next update’s Direct Enlistment feature, hints at the closed beta for the Microsoft Excel plugin teased last year (the full launch is set for May), and promises more expansions in line with Uprising going forward. The company is also setting its sights on new and newish players with an eye toward “giving them more meaningful roles in the interstellar war effort.”
“As we start to look beyond Uprising, we’ll be taking the learnings from Factional Warfare and applying them to other areas of space with one of our focuses being on guiding players into more parts of the sandbox, while smoothing the learning curve for novice pilots so they can become valuable recruits for experienced capsuleers. The war machine requires scores of cogs to run effectively – every capsuleer has a role and purpose, whether it’s fighting for territory on the frontlines or supporting the war effort from the homefront. Every item destroyed requires replacement, driving industry and mining – the backbone of New Eden.”
