EVE Online Studio Goes Indie in “New Era” Rebrand With Google DeepMind AI Partnership
The studio behind EVE Online (formerly known as CCP Games) is rebranding as Fenris Creations after separating from Pearl Abyss, while also announcing a new AI research partnership with Google DeepMind.
The company behind EVE Online is entering what it describes as “a new era.”
Formerly known as CCP Games, the Icelandic studio has officially rebranded as Fenris Creations following its separation from parent company Pearl Abyss. According to the studio, the move returns the company to independent operation under its own shareholders and board structure after nearly eight years under Pearl Abyss ownership.
The rebrand follows the recent announcement that Pearl Abyss sold CCP Games back to studio leadership in a deal reportedly valued at ~$120 million.
While the company’s name is changing, leadership emphasized that existing projects, teams, and long-term direction for the EVE universe remain intact. This includes ongoing work on EVE Online, EVE Frontier, EVE Vanguard, and related projects.
The new name, Fenris Creations, draws from Norse mythology and the company’s own history. According to CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, “Fenris” also appeared on the studio’s earliest published work and reflects long-standing design philosophies centered around risk, loss, and player-driven worlds.
Alongside the rebrand, the company also announced a new research partnership with Google DeepMind focused on artificial intelligence and complex systems research. The collaboration will reportedly use an offline version of EVE Online as a testing environment for AI research involving long-term planning, decision-making, and emergent systems behavior. Google DeepMind has additionally taken a minority stake in the newly independent company.
\EVE Online remains one of the industry’s longest-running live-service MMOs, operating continuously since 2003 while building a reputation around large-scale player-driven economies, warfare, and emergent social systems. Its persistence and systemic complexity have frequently made it a point of reference for discussions around virtual worlds, live-service design, and sandbox economies.
Community reaction to the announcement has been mixed but largely optimistic, with many longtime players viewing the return to independence as a positive step for the future of the EVE universe. Others remain cautious about the growing role of AI partnerships in game development and research.
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