CCP is doing away with gigantic expansions in EVE Online. Where once massive updates changed the entire universe, introducing new systems and features all at once, CCPs new approach will see the online space sim continuously updated with smaller content packs.
Ten of these updates are planned over the next year, compared to the 20 larger expansions that have built up EVE over the better part of the last decade. The first of these new updates, Kronos, is due out on June 3rd, and it’s one for the industrialists.
“Vast industrial operations are behind the famous player wars that rage across EVE’s sprawling universe, while smaller individual efforts generate wealth, meaning and power at a personal level. Kronos will create dynamic shifts in the industrial landscape by adding cost-scale differences, specialized workers and teams, changes to reprocessing, and more. Players’ activity will begin to affect the industrial palette of solar systems, allowing for more meaningful decisions and giving them more reasons to interact with each other in cooperative or adversarial ways. New players will be able to get into Industry more quickly as manufacturing opens up and the user interface is reworked.”
“Kronos will also offer other features in CCP’s ongoing commitment to improve EVE Online year after year. New Mordu’s Legion ships (frigate, cruiser, and battleship) are coming alongside a new mining frigate, the Prospect. Rebalancing efforts will change heat, transport ships, freighters, pirate faction ships, and drones. A new in-game store will prepare for even more customization options in the future, and other changes from sound customization to solar flares and warp effects will complete the release.”
The cadence of updates will be quite regular, nearly monthly:
- Kronos: 3rd June
- Crius: 19th August
- Hyperion: 23rd September
- Oceanus: 4th November
- Phoebe: 9th December
- Rhea: 20th January 2015
- Tethys: 7th February
- Theia: 17th March
- Themis: 4th April
Pilots, pirates and capitalists of the EVE universe, is this pleasing to your eyes? Or will you miss the big ol’ expansions like Rubicon? If you are mourning their passing, you should at least be content with Kronos, as it was originally developed as a traditional expansion and thus is quite chunky.
Cheers, RPS.