Eve Online dev breaks from Pearl Abyss and establishes “research partnership” with Google DeepMind
CCP Games, the long-established developer of EVE Online, has undergone a significant restructuring, breaking its relationship with parent company Pearl Abyss and rebranding itself as Fenris Creations. The move is accompanied by a major “research partnership” valued at $120 million with Google DeepMind, establishing a new strategic direction for the studio.
Under the new structure, Fenris Creations is controlled by its own senior management and a group of long-term investors, including Google as a key partner. According to the studio, this arrangement is better positioned to support strategic decision-making for persistent live games and align with the company’s ambitions as a developer, publisher, and operator of player-driven online experiences.
The partnership with Google DeepMind marks a significant push into AI-driven game development. Google will work with an offline, local test version of the game and collaborate on exploring new gameplay experiences enabled by AI technologies. This suggests the studio is positioning itself at the forefront of integrating advanced AI systems into live service games, though specific details about how these technologies will impact EVE Online remain limited.
The deal represents a major industry development, reflecting both the consolidation of AI capabilities in gaming and the increasing independence movements among established game studios seeking to regain creative and operational control.