Eve Online launched back in for PC in 2003, and it’s found a dedicated audience who wants to fly spaceships and deal with the intergalactic politics of megacorps. It even branched into VR with Eve: Valkyrie. But it’s never been small enough to hold in your hand. That’s changing thanks to a new partnership with Kongregate and PlayRaven: Project Aurora is now Eve: War of Ascension, a new MMO for iOS and Android devices coming later this year.
In Eve: War of Ascension, players can form alliances or take on others, which is a beloved feature of the PC MMO, to become “the most powerful corporation in the universe.” Screenshots show that War of Ascension does have ships, hex maps, and what appear to be installations. Players can create their own stories and build alliances, and it will have weekly events and other promotions. Back in October, CCP Games producer Sam Barton told GamesBeat that it wouldn’t have much of a story, but it does have hints to lore, such as searching for relics to open up another part of the galaxy.
“The intention is then to slowly hint and suggest a few things here and there, and let players build up the background story of why they’re there slowly over time, rather than layering it all on through a text medium,” said Barton
PlayRaven is Finnish studio, and its games include Robocide and Spymaster. It works in mobile and console game development. Kongregate made its name as a portal for web games, but it’s now a publisher after a sale to first GameStop and then Modern Times Group, a Swedish company.
Mobile adaptations of PC games are nothing new, but it’s rare to see something as ambitious as Eve Online get a counterpart on smartphones. CCP’s game is known for the long-term plans of its players and massive battles. It’ll be interesting to see how PlayRaven and CCP translate these to the smartphone audience.
