South Korean gaming giant Pearl Abyss is on the rise once again – and unlike many of its mobile-focused competitors, PC MMORPGs and the west accounts for a respectable chunk of its potency. Its Q4 2019 investor report shows an 11% dip in revenues since Q3, but a 20% jump year over year (that is, compared to Q4 2018). Oh, and if you ever wondered how Black Desert stacks up to EVE Online, it’s about 6.5 times bigger in terms of revenue. But both MMORPGs are making more money than they were a year ago – BDO about 15% more (the multiple releases last year created mid-year spikes too) and EVE almost 13% more.
As mentioned during the investor call, it does now appear that Project Nova has been shelved a bit more than indefinitely. Gamers will recall that CCP Games (which is owned by Pearl Abyss) suspended the project at the end of 2018, saying that it didn’t quite meet expectations and lacked a proper hook to EVE Online itself. Last April, CCP’s Hilmar Pétursson promised that the studio would keep trying. In any case, we now know it won’t be trying with Nova itself, as Nova’s game director, Snorri Árnason aka CCP Rattati, told fans in the DUST 514 veterans’ Discord that it has been fully canceled now.
“[W]e are evolving the scope of Nova beyond our previous plans for early access, and the development will continue in our London studio. I am personally optimistic about this, but also wistful that also means that the Project Nova codename is retired and the London team will find a new one. […] This is not a fiscal decision, the London team had been working on very interesting ideas and concepts, and adding them to a shooter sounds very promising (to me).”
“The [Nova] team, including myself, transitioned into other EVE related work in [Reykjavik],” he said, noting that he’s now working on EVE’s ecosystem himself, though he did not know whether CCP will be making an official announcement. “I have already gone through the 7 stages of grief, now someone else needs to make the shooter I always wanted to play.”
We do know CCP is working on another shooter out of its London hub, as it’s been hiring team members for the last year.
