CCP, the developers of the sci-fi themed Eve Online MMORPG have announced the details of Eve Online: Apocrypha, the game’s tenth expansion. Although the expansion pack will be available online on March 10 as a free download to the game subscribers, Eve Online will also land at retailers across North America, Asia, and Europe on the same date, marking Eve’s first major play in the retail arena.
Set in a sci-fi universe tens of thousands of years in the future, Eve Online sports nearly a quarter million subscribers and a player-run economy. Players pilot ships around the Eve universe, acting as traders, mercenaries, business types, military, miners, engineers, and even pirates as they explore Eve’s worlds and interact with other players. Eve Online is known for its edgy play—and made headlines back in 2006 when an avatar ran off with almost 800 billion ISK (the game’s in-world currency—although, since Eve’s economy isn’t linked to the real world, no real-world funds were stolen and the event basically amounted a singularly effective round of brinksmanship…all within the rules of Eve’s license agreement.
Eve Online: Apocrypha aims to extend the Eve universe via unstable wormholes that open up more than 2,400 new solar systems…and the dangerous alien technology to be found there. The game also adds new ships and weapons, new archaeological and hacking sites, an improved New Player Experience to get folks up and running, and Epic Mission Arcs that give new players a chance to tour the universe while engaging in enormous branching mission sagas. Eve Online: Apocrypha also ditches the game’s old-style Classic Graphics Client and brings everyone up to Premium graphics…even long-neglected Macintosh users.
The retail version of Eve Online will cost $34.95 USD or €39.99, although pricing may vary from place to place, and the box will include Eve Online: Apocrypha along with all previous Eve expansions. Folks interested in a taste of the Eve universe can sign up for a 14-day trial at the Eve Web site.
