Fenris Creations is well into development on EVE Frontier, a new space survival game built on more than twenty years of experience running EVE Online. Work on the project began in 2021, and the game will use blockchain technology so that real-world transactions are possible. CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson says the key is understanding how players interact, recalling a conversation from early 2017 with Demis Hassabis, co-founder of Google DeepMind, to illustrate how AI in gaming has evolved and how EVE Online serves as a proving ground for AI agents. In Pétursson's view, the game is a place where agents can build traits such as long-term memory and resistance to manipulation. “EVE is probably the best approximation to test and train agent properties in the broad topic of alignment other than doing it in the real world,” he said, explaining that the game rewards trust and honesty because players depend on each other rather than from a developer-imposed morality system.
With EVE Frontier, Fenris aims to address problems encountered with EVE Online, particularly real-money trading. EVE Online bans the practice, while EVE Frontier will support it, allowing players to buy and sell in-game assets that carry real-world value. The goal is to build these economic elements into the core of the game's ecosystem. Pétursson explained that in EVE Frontier every action will consume in-game resources, namely fuel. “If people can multiply themselves endlessly, with no cost to them, then obviously they would run amok,” he said. The fuel system is intended to push players toward forming alliances and building skills instead of simply opening multiple accounts.
EVE Online is known for its intricate social structures, but EVE Frontier takes a different approach, focusing on precise navigation and resource management within a high-fidelity physics environment. Players will need to steer their ships skillfully through spatial obstacles and use natural features as cover from enemies and environmental hazards. Pétursson admitted that even advanced AI systems have difficulty beating human players in these complex situations, adding that this could change as technology improves.
EVE Frontier is now entering its seventh three-month testing phase. When the phase ends, the universe will reset and a new version of the game will follow. Moving from the Sui testnet to mainnet remains a major milestone as the team continues refining gameplay mechanics. “Only then will we see how well Fenris has distilled its learnings from EVE Online into a game that allows AI agents to expand what players can do while remaining subject to the costs and constraints that sustain the game’s economy,” Pétursson said. A free trial is available now, and permanent Founders Access starts at $40.