Eve Online passes 50,000 subscriber mark

Icelandic developer CCP has announced that Eve Online, its space-based massively multiplayer game, has just broken through the 50,000 subscriber level - marking 45 per cent growth for the title's subscription base so far this year.

The firm also noted that the game broke its own concurrent player records earlier this month, when over 12,000 players were logged into the game simultaneously - all playing in the same virtual world.

Eve Online is described as an open-ended massively multiplayer title where much of the structure of the game is defined by the actions of players, who are encouraged to co-operate and to found and run the corporations which dominate the virtual world.

Almost uniquely among massively multiplayer games, the title does not divide players up between different servers or "shards," instead putting every player in the game - all 50,000 of them - into the same game world.

"We are very pleased to see players embrace Eve with such enthusiasm and addictiveness," commented CCP's chief marketing office, Magnus Bergsson. "Ths further confirms our conviction that many gamers enjoy the unique open ended style Eve offers, compared to the traditional structure gameplay."

"It has always been the goal to offer players an intellectual challenge where they have to bring something to table," he continued, "instead of placing them in a virtual theme park where the rides have already been created. This does though require a certain level of understanding and cunningness from the players if they are to be successful in this highly competitive and political world."