Fenris Creations, the studio formerly known as CCP Games, runs EVE Online independently after a management buyout and partners with Google DeepMind on AI research.
EVE Online's developer underwent a major restructuring in 2026. CCP Games completed a management buyout from Pearl Abyss in May 2026 and rebranded as Fenris Creations. The studio also announced a research partnership with Google DeepMind, which took a minority stake. CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson framed the new name around a mythological cycle of destruction and creation and positioned EVE Online as a uniquely difficult environment for AI.
The DeepMind partnership treats EVE Online as a testbed for AI research. The persistent universe has run for over 20 years without resets or clear win conditions, making it distinct from match-based games. Research targets continual learning, memory, long-term planning, and handling cooperation and competition. A separate IVS2026 panel described EVE Online as the ultimate benchmark for AI agency, while noting that practical, cost-effective LLM agents in live games remain distant.
Fenris Creations also opened up its technology. The studio released the Carbon engine framework, refined for over 20 years and used for EVE Online's single-shard world, as open source on GitHub. Executive producer Snorri Arnason detailed how the game fell into stagnation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with paralyzed decision-making, eroded trust between developers and players, and a fading internal knowledge base. He described the rebuilding method as stating plans, explaining reasoning, and executing, then trying again on failure. Pétursson, during his first Japan visit in 10 years, reaffirmed the company's 2008 mission to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life, treating real-world laws and money as constructed game design.
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Google DeepMind announced a research partnership with Fenris Creations, the developer of EVE Online, to study AI in the long-running space MMORPG. The persistent universe, active for over 20 years, offers an environment without resets or clear win conditions. Research targets continual learning, memory, long-term planning, and handling cooperation and competition.
At gamescom dev in Cologne, EVE Online executive producer Snorri Arnason explained how the game fell into stagnation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Decision-making was paralyzed, trust collapsed between developers and players, and the company's internal knowledge base eroded as veterans left. He described the rebuilding method as stating plans, explaining the reasoning, and executing, then trying again on failure.
CCP Games, the studio behind EVE Online, has completed a management buyout from parent company Pearl Abyss and rebranded as Fenris Creations. The move coincides with a research partnership and minority investment from Google DeepMind. CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson discussed the independence, the new name's mythological meaning, and the externally funded project EVE Frontier in a recent interview.
CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Petursson discussed the studio's May 2026 management buyout from Pearl Abyss, its rebranding as Fenris Creations, and a new AI research partnership with Google DeepMind. He also detailed the externally funded EVE Frontier project and the philosophy behind the company's new name.
Fenris Creations CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson reaffirmed the company's 2008 mission to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life. In an interview during his first Japan visit in 10 years, he said the declaration was serious, arguing that real-world structures like laws and money are themselves a form of game design.
CCP Games, the Icelandic developer behind EVE Online, has become independent through a management buyout from Pearl Abyss and rebranded as Fenris Creations. The company also announced a research partnership with Google DeepMind, with Google investing as a minority shareholder. Research themes include long-term planning, memory, and continual learning.
Fenris Creations has released its proprietary Carbon engine framework as open source on GitHub. The engine, developed and refined for over 20 years, supported Eve Online's single-shard world and its record-breaking 8,825-player battle. The repository includes over 20 modules covering physics, graphics, networking, and more.
At IVS2026, a panel of investors and entrepreneurs from gaming, healthcare, and venture capital discussed the current state and future of AI agents. Topics included the lineage from AlphaGo to potential AI in EVE Online, the gap between sophisticated bots and LLM-based agents, and the challenge of making agents economically viable in live games.