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(Image credit: CCP Games) I really don't know what to make of EVE Frontier, the blockchain-based survival MMO in development at CCP Games. It landed with a thud in September 2024 over what was perceived as "crypto slop," but it also sounded possibly interesting when we took a closer look in February: As PC Gamer's Ted Litchfield wrote at the time, "The developers at CCP have actually articulated a vision of what they want Frontier to be, and why they think blockchain needs to be a part of it." But now it feels like things are veering back into the crypto stuff: CCP announced today that it's hired Stefán Þórarinsson, a former economist at the Central Bank of Iceland, as its new Head of Economy, a move that "marks the next step in CCP Games’ commitment to deepening the legitimacy of virtual economies and pioneering research in the games industry." "Stefán Þórarinsson’s appointment advances our goal toward building a truly open financial system within a virtual world," CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson. "Since our inception, we have strived to create worlds where players transcend the constraints of our own design—a story that has played out within EVE Online as it enters its third decade of operation. You may like Blockchain-based space survival MMO EVE Frontier has a free trial running, with CCP hoping you'll take a chance on its 20,000 star systems, more tactical combat, and 'dark sci-fi Pinocchio story' EVE lays out a busy 2025 focusing on player customization and fan-favorite events "With EVE Frontier, we want to be bolder: Stefán’s experience from the Central Bank of Iceland adds vital rigor as we continue to design our economy and open it up to players. By removing currency controls and fostering emergent value systems, EVE Frontier will redefine virtual nation-building, offering insights into both digital and real-world economies." As part of that process, CCP has also launched "a series of comprehensive economic updates" in EVE Frontier, which will help it "analyze fundamental aspects of the economy" within the game: Monetary Policy & Inflation: Understanding how economic levers influence pricing, currency stability, and market behavior in a fully player-driven world. Market Equilibrium & Trade Dynamics: Exploring how supply and demand fluctuate based on player and NPC interactions. Assets & Currency Flows: Assessing the integration of digital assets and their impact on in-game economic activity. Behavioral Economics in Virtual Worlds: Gathering data on player decision-making, financial speculation, and economic adaptation. CCP held an economic policy update and Q&A session for EVE Frontier today, offering a deeper dive into how it's approaching that aspect of the game: EVE Frontier Economic Policy Update and Dev Q&A! - YouTube I have no doubt that Þórarinsson knows his stuff, and will bring a solid foundation of macroeconomic understanding to CCP Games. My question, though, is... well, why? I struggle to see who this benefits: CCP is apparently aiming to create a fully self-balancing game world that won't require constant developer intervention and I can understand where an economist would have a role to play in that, but it feels like putting the cart before the horse if the real goal here is to make a game that people actually want to play. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. I may be off-base on that take—like Peter Molyneux, I'm not much of a crypto-understander—but there's an element of that feeling visible on Reddit, too. There are some cautiously optimistic reactions to be seen in the EVE subreddit but on the whole, enthusiasm seems in short supply; on the actual EVE Frontier subreddit, meanwhile, precisely one response has been posted in the six hours since the announcement of Þórarinsson’s hiring went up, and it's basically an observation that CCP's focus on EVE Frontier risks cannibalizing EVE Online—the game that actually makes money—with no guarantee of return. Then again, this is not an unprecedented move from CCP Games: In 2007 the studio hired Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson as the lead economist for EVE Online, a role he held until 2014, and whose "foundational contributions to in-depth economic models and monetary policies will now continue with EVE Frontier and its ability to model advanced economic theories within an open environment." It worked for EVE Online, so maybe it's what EVE Frontier really needs, too. Best MMOs: Most massive Best strategy games: Number crunching Best open world games: Unlimited exploration Best survival games: Live craft love Best horror games: Fight or flight Cryptocurrency Social Links Navigation US News Lead Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. 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