CCP unleashes spectacular 'This Is EVE' trailer

EVE Online Retribution fleet action

Back in September, CCP put out a call for EVE Online comms—recordings of the communications between pilots as they went about their business in the game. Today, at the EVE Down Under event in Australia, the studio finally revealed why, and what it's done with them is nothing short of spectacular.

EVE Online has carved a unique niche for itself in the decade-plus that it's been around, mainly for two reasons. One, developer CCP Games is famously hands-off—consider its non-response to the "Burn Jita" campaign, in which Goonswarm trashed the one part of the galaxy intended to be "safe"—and two, amazing things sometimes happen in its notoriously unregulated space.

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

It's often fun to read about things like the massive battle earlier this year—the largest in EVE's history— that began because somebody forgot to pay their rent and ultimately resulted in real-money losses, by some estimates, of more than $300,000. But this trailer goes way beyond that. It works on a purely emotional level, and boy, does it work. I don't play EVE, and despite all the good stuff I've read about over the years, I've never had more than a passing urge to try it—until now. Now, I'm gripped by a sudden and powerful compulsion to climb into a spaceship and misbehave.

The next EVE Online expansion, Rhea, is currently in the works and scheduled to be deployed on December 9. The update will add 100 new wormhole systems to the galaxy, new models for the Blackbird, Falcon, and Rook ships, and a new freighter called the Bowhead. But the big thrill will be the addition of Tech 3 tactical destroyers, beginning with the Amarr ship The Confessor, which will have the ability to shift between defensive, speed, and sniper modes on the fly.

It's exciting news for existing EVE players, I have no doubt, but this trailer? It's thrilling for anyone with even a passing interest in blowing stuff up in outer space. And that's surely all of us.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Latest in Sim
An ancient, angry stone mech from No Man's Sky's new Relics update
No Man’s Sky lets you unearth ancient, angry mechs in the astro-archaeology filled Relics update
Dwarf Fortress adventure mode art
After 23 years of making Dwarf Fortress, even its creator is still 'terrified' of drowning all his dwarves with aquifers: 'Part of the problem is we are just not good at videogames'
Tarn Adams, who cofounded Bay 12 Games with his brother Zach, talks about their single-player simulation game "Dwarf Fortress" during an interview at their home office in Poulsbo, Washington, west of Seattle, on December 9, 2022. - A cult favorite among indie game fans, "Dwarf Fortress" has been available for purchase on the Steam online store since December 6, a first for this title that has been distributed for free since its debut in 2006. The real-time management game, set in a medieval-fantasy world and involving overseeing a group of dwarves seeking to build a mighty fortress, has climbed to the fourth best-selling weekly title on Steam. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP) (Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)
Dwarf Fortress' creator is so tired of hearing about AI: 'Press a button and it writes a really sh*tty, wrong essay about something—and they still take your job'
Decorations in TCG Card Shop Simulator
TCG Card Shop Simulator finally adds the ability to decorate our stores, and suddenly all my profits are being spent on adorable Pigni posters
A person on a snowmobile riding a track in the forest in game Sledders.
Powder enthusiasts seem pretty pleased with new physics-based realistic snowmobile sim Sledders
Dean Hall at GDC 2025.
Outer space inspired DayZ's Dean Hall to become a modder and game developer, and now he's making a Kerbal successor called Kitten Space Agency
Latest in News
Two brightly colored stormtroopers dressed like Run-DMC stand in front of PAX Australia's WELCOME HOME banner.
Tickets for PAX Australia 2025 are on sale now
An Enshrouded player in a recreation of Erebor from The Lord of the Rings
Kings under the Mountain! 33 Enshrouded players spent 10,000 hours to recreate this iconic location from The Lord of the Rings
A mech awakens.
Mecha Break developer is considering unlocking all mechs following open beta feedback
Lara Croft Unified Art
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics lays off 17 employees 'to better align our current business needs and the studio's future success'
A long bendy arm stealing money from people in a subway car
'You're a very long arm. You steal things. It's a comedy game,' explains developer of comedy game where you steal things with a very long arm
The heroes are attacked by monsters
Pillars of Eternity is getting turn-based combat to mark its 10th anniversary, and that means PC Gamer editors will soon be arguing about combat mechanics again