Hey guys, Bait here. Today has been both really exciting and a little crazy over on Discord. It has been exciting because CCP announced it will be acquired by Pearl Abyss, the makers of Black Desert Online. As you can imagine, people over in the DUST Vets Discord server are concerned about what this means in regards to Project Nova, the PC-exclusive DUST 514 successor. First I’ll run through the acquisition news and then explain what this means for Project Nova in terms of moving forward.
The News
Pearl Abyss (PA), the makers of Korean based MMO, Black Desert Online, announced today that it will acquire CCP Games, the makers of EVE: Online, for $425 million USD. CCP Games’s CEO, Hilmar V. Petursson, has said in a blog post, that Pearl Abyss is allowing CCP to “operate independently as a developer with studios in Reykjavik, London and Shanghai[,]” but that the company would also be “integrating the company’s extensive development and publishing expertise into Pearl Abyss’ operations for all current and future projects.”
Speaking to the EVE community via a dev blog, Hilmar reminded players that as the game moves into the Third Decade, that “our community continues to be at the forefront of our minds whenever we make decisions that could affect EVE.” He said that CCP is composed of gamers that make videos games for fellow gamers, and that they must continue to make decisions that are best for “the health of those worlds.” He went on to say that both the developers have “an appreciable cultural fit” and “share similar DNA.” in that Pearl Abyss shares CCP’s passion for creating video games.
Hilmar then explained that CCP Games is currently owned by a group of three large investors, who will be selling their shares directly to Pearl Abyss and that the sale is simply one group of investors selling their shares to another investor. Bringing in another MMO developer will add depth to the shared experience of both companies, allowing both companies to take on larger, long-term, mutual goals.
Speaking to VentureBeat, Pearl Abyss CEO, Robin Jung reinforced the sentiment that CCP would continue to operate independently of PA, and further stating that they “currently have no plans to restructure the company in any way.” Furthermore, Jung did say that both companies will be exploring the joint development of brand new games.
Nova Wen?
Contrary to what Twitter, Reddit, and Discord are saying, Project Nova is not dead. It is very much still being developed, and CCP Rattati confirmed that today. As explained before, PA is allowing CCP Games to continue operating independently on its current products and that includes Project Nova. As such, Project Nova is still on track for early access/beta later this year, so take a deep breath and relax.
We have discussed monetization in Black Desert Online (BDO) on the podcast, and it’s pay to win model sounds ridiculous to western audiences (such as the $30 USD fishing suit). PA understands those premium items that provide a power advantage do not sit well with western audiences and do not intend to push those models into CCP’s games. Rattati jumped in on this conversation in the Dust Veterans Discord explaining:
One thing that must be taken into account, monetization is completely different in Asia, and even Russia (Warface) to what we are used to. I am fairly sure, both companies know by now that one does not work well in the other…It doesn’t matter, they are making a game for an audience that is ok with it. We are making games for an audience that wants fair and balanced. [W]estern monetization fails catastrophically in the east[.]
The deal finalizes October 12, about a week before EVE: Vegas, so it is very possible that we will hear more at the event.
