The studio behind EVE Online is entering a new era as the company formerly known as CCP Games has officially rebranded as Fenris Creations, returning to independent ownership while simultaneously announcing a new research partnership with Google DeepMind focused on AI and virtual world technology.
The transition marks one of the biggest structural changes for the Icelandic developer since it was acquired by Pearl Abyss in 2018. Under the new arrangement, Fenris Creations will operate independently with its own Board of Directors, backed by senior leadership and long-term investors aligned with the company’s future vision for persistent online worlds and live-service games. According to regulatory filings from Pearl Abyss, the deal is valued at approximately $120 million USD through a mix of cash and non-cash considerations.
Despite the rebrand and ownership shift, Fenris Creations emphasized that its leadership, development studios, and ongoing projects remain unchanged. The company’s headquarters will continue operating in Reykjavík, Iceland, alongside existing studios in London and Shanghai, and no layoffs or restructuring are planned.
The announcement arrives at an important moment for the long-running sci-fi MMORPG. Originally launched in 2003, EVE Online has built a reputation as one of gaming’s most complex sandbox experiences, featuring massive player-driven economies, large-scale alliances, political warfare, and some of the biggest battles ever recorded in online gaming history. More than two decades later, the game continues to maintain a dedicated community and remains one of the longest-running live-service MMORPGs in operation.
Fenris Creations also revealed that EVE Online closed 2025 with some of its strongest financial results in years, including a record-breaking revenue month in November and the second-highest quarterly revenue performance in the game’s history. The studio reported more than $70 million in revenue during 2025, highlighting the continued strength of the EVE universe entering its third decade.
Alongside its independence, Fenris Creations is partnering with Google DeepMind to explore artificial intelligence research using an offline version of EVE Online running on local servers. The collaboration will focus on areas such as long-horizon planning, memory systems, continual learning, and complex decision-making inside dynamic virtual environments.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said games have historically played a major role in AI breakthroughs, referencing projects like AlphaGo and AlphaStar, while praising EVE Online as an ideal testing ground because of its complex player-driven systems and evolving world structure. Fenris Creations CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson described the move as a way to ensure the long-term future of the EVE universe, stating that independent ownership provides the studio with “direct ownership, clear accountability, and the independence to invest in worlds that grow over decades.”
The company’s future roadmap also extends beyond EVE Online. Fenris Creations is currently developing EVE Vanguard, a multiplayer extraction shooter set within the EVE universe, as well as EVE Frontier, an upcoming survival-focused online experience.
The partnership with Google DeepMind suggests the studio may also explore entirely new forms of AI-driven gameplay experiences in the future, potentially pushing the boundaries of persistent online worlds even further.
