EVE Online‘s CCP Games studio announced they’re rebranding to Fenris Creations as an independent and partnering with Google DeepMind.
After nearly a decade, EVE Online‘s studio will return to independent operation. After jumping from location to location since 2018 (owned by a South Korean company, Pearl Abyss), the developers behind EVE Online have rebranded as Fenris Creations from CCP Games.
Fenris Creations is now governed by its own Board of Directors, returning to a model similar to how the company operated before 2018, and one designed to support strategic decision-making for persistent live games and long-running virtual worlds. Notably, the entire announcement homes in on layoffs and the fact that there will be none at Fenris Creations.
The official announcement reads, “For employees and the local community in Iceland, Fenris Creations emphasized that this transition does not involve restructuring or layoffs. There are no planned changes to the company’s organizational structure, and its headquarters will remain in Vatnsmýrin, Iceland.” The company also states, “The change reflects a shift in ownership and governance only,” on the rebranding to Fenris Creations.
The studio will continue to operate as a standalone studio, responsible for its strategy, operations, and creative direction. Fenris Creations’ leadership team, studios, products, and ongoing development plans will remain unchanged entirely. On top of the rebranding, Fenris Creations has entered a partnership with Google DeepMind, focused on advancing understanding of intelligence in complex, dynamic systems.
The collaboration will include long-horizon planning for EVE Online‘s future, and its environments will be used as a uniquely rich environment for study. Google DeepMind will work with an offline version of EVE Online running on a local server to test and evaluate models in a controlled setting, allowing development to continue smoothly on the MMO plane of EVE Online. There’s sadly been no confirmation of an ‘EVE Offline.’
The split between Pearl Abyss and Fenris Creations is amicable, as both companies part ways with mutual respect following a partnership that supported EVE Online‘s company growth. This news comes one week out from the upcoming EVE Fanfest set to take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 14-16. For more information on the independent studio announcement or EVE Fanfest 2026, fans can head to the official sites or stay tuned for extensive coverage here at CGMagazine.
