CCP Games, the Icelandic developer known for the iconic MMORPG EVE Online, may be on the chopping block.
After being acquired by South Korean game developer Pearl Abyss in 2018 for around $425 million, CCP Games could soon be up for sale, according to a new report by Korean website MTN.
The report suggests that Pearl Abyss has contacted multiple game companies to gauge their interest in acquiring CCP Games, though the details behind the move remain unclear. While financial specifics regarding CCP’s games are not publicly available, the company has faced some challenges over the years, including the cancellation of multiple projects. Notably, CCP axed games like World of Darkness, Project Legion, EVE: The Second Genesis, and Project Nova. Additionally, Dust 514, a game that had potential, fizzled out, leaving a sour taste for many fans.
CCP’s experiment with Virtual Reality was short-lived, with titles like EVE: Valkyrie and Gunjack failing to make a significant impact in the market, which was ultimately deemed too small to sustain these ambitious projects.
More recently, CCP launched EVE: Frontier, a survival spin-off of EVE Online, but this project has been met with mixed reception, leading some to wonder if Pearl Abyss is losing faith in its subsidiary’s future. The studio’s most recent shooter, Vanguard, also doesn’t seem to be hitting the mark, and this has raised questions about CCP’s ability to diversify beyond its space-themed roots.
The MTN report suggests that Pearl Abyss may be ready to divest itself of CCP Games in favor of focusing on its own projects, like the highly anticipated Crimson Desert and DokeV. While Pearl Abyss has not yet confirmed this news, it has only responded with the standard PR statement that the company will continue to update fans via its official channels.
For now, fans of EVE Online and CCP Games will have to wait and see if the iconic studio will be sold off or if it will manage to turn things around.