EVE dev admits ‘mistakes,’ reduces workforce by 20%

EVE Online has always been a game I’d admired from a distance rather than actually playing it. Icelandic developer CCP has done an amazing job and EVE’s success always seemed to be well earned. Which makes all the recent troubles mystifying, but now the studio has spoken out, admitting it has bitten off more than it can chew.

In a statement, CCP admits the mistake of “attempting too many things for a company our size” in developing expansions for EVE, the PlayStation 3 shooter Dust 514, and the MMO World of Darkness. “Rather than allowing this to persist, we have made the decision to sharpen our focus,” namely cutting the global workforce by 20%, most of whom are working on World of Darkness. The title isn’t cancelled but will carry on being developed with a reduced staff.

Apparently, these cuts won’t affect either EVE or Dust 514. The statement from CCP also says that EVE Online is still in “good health” although the developers admit some recent “mistakes and poor communication” that lead to the MMO’s numbers dropping over the summer.

Big shake-up at Eve Online dev CCP [Eurogamer]