Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.09.2018, Blaðsíða 12

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Pearl Abyss, the company behind
the massively multiplayer online
role-playing game ‘Black Desert
Online,’ has bought the Icelandic
gaming company CCP for almost
half a billion U.S. dollars. Fans of the
company’s popular and long-running
‘EVE Online’ game need not worry;
according to a press release, CCP has
contractually guaranteed independ-
ence. The company will maintain its
existing structure and continue its
operations in Reykjavík, London and
Shanghai. Korea-based Pearl Abyss is
a much younger company and wants
to integrate the CCP studio’s experi-
ence and expertise in publishing and
development into its current and
future projects.
CCP Games was founded over
twenty years ago and first launched
‘EVE Online’ in 2003, predating much
of the internet as we know it now. It is
older than the iPhone in your pocket,
and even Facebook. The massively
multiplayer online role-playing game
(MMORPG) is set in space. It is a
shared, persistent world game, mean-
ing all players are in the same world
and time continues when individuals
sign-off. It has around 300,000 active
monthly users—close to Iceland’s
actual population. ‘EVE’ is well-known
for its detail, complexity and scale,
and has consistently been one of the
most popular games of its type.
Full of praise
In typical corporate public relations
style, the press release announcing
the buyout was full of praise from
all corners. The CEO of Pearl Abyss,
Robin Jung, hailed CCP’s success
with ‘EVE and believes its expertise
can help them build on the success it
has had with ‘Black Desert.’ Hilmar
Veigar Pétursson, the CEO of CCP, also
had kind words for his new corpo-
rate masters. He fawned over the
company’s website and noted that he
is an avid player. CCP’s lead investor
and chair of the board said, in part,
“for over 13 years alongside General
Catalyst and NEA, we’ve seen CCP
go from being a few dozen people
strong to employing hundreds all
over the world, with an ever-increas-
ing customer base and multiple
titles.” While Hilmar is contractually
required to stay on at the company, he
indicated he would have stayed with-
out the clause.
Words:
Colin Arnold
Dalrymple
Photo:
Hayden
Dingman
CCP Games
Bought Out, Shifts
Focus to Mobile
and Hollywood
Don’t worry, you can still play EVE Online
A lucrative sci-fi dreamworld
12 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 17— 2018