MMORPG news: Eve online goes retail; Atari exclusively

Atari and CCP, one of the world's leading independent game developers, today announced a partnership which will see Atari exclusively distribute boxed versions of CCP's award winning PC MMOG, EVE Online. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) November 12, 2008 - Atari and CCP, one of the world's leading independent game developers, today announced a partnership which will see Atari exclusively distribute boxed versions of CCP's award winning PC MMOG, EVE Online. The game will be available in retail outlets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific regions beginning March 2009. In addition, Atari will provide trade marketing services to augment CCP's consumer marketing initiatives for EVE Online.

This venture will enable CCP to reach a wider audience and increase the visibility and awareness of the wildly popular franchise, which has grown steadily year-on-year since its release in 2003.
The establishment of a retail distribution channel for EVE Online comes at a time of rapid subscriber growth and technical advancements. The game has attracted nearly 250,000 loyal, active subscribers. Its single shard universe has evolved technically to support massive battles of 1,000+ players with minimal lag, due to CCP's StacklessIO(TM) and EVE64 initiatives. In addition, CCP will enhance gameplay within EVE Online by rolling out a series of content rich free expansions in 2009.

"Intrepid pioneering is the very foundation upon which EVE Online was built and our digital publishing strategy is an example of how innovation has been a key factor in our success. With Atari, we have found a like-minded partner and a premiere brand that is not only strong globally but also shares our vision in how retail and online services can reinforce each other," said Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO of CCP. "This partnership comes at a great time in the history of EVE where, through a series of technical breakthroughs, we are able to support a vast increase in the number of concurrent players in our single shard persistent world."

"At Atari we're working to grow our relationships with the world's leading online gaming companies and to use our distribution strength to help grow the category for both consumers and retailers. This relationship with CCP is an example of how we can work commercially and creatively to expand the market," said David Gardner, CEO of Atari. "I have spent time with the creative and commercial leaders of CCP in Iceland and they have built a world class group of dedicated internet game visionaries. I'm honoured that Atari is entrusted with the mission of expanding the CCP universe on earth."

The boxed version of EVE Online will include the game client, 60 days of subscription time and exclusive extras. It will also include all nine previously released EVE Online expansions. All new expansions will be free of charge to all subscribers, continuing CCP's release policies.

Launched in 2003, EVE Online has been available exclusively as a direct download from the Web since March 2003. Petursson officially announced the Atari partnership at CCP's annual Fanfest event, which took place in Reykjavik, Iceland from November 6-8, 2008.

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