CCP Games Launches ‘First Strike’ Live Event for EVE Online Multiplayer FPS Module, EVE Vanguard

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland – December 7, 2023 – Today, CCP Games launched ‘First Strike,’ the inaugural limited-time live event for EVE Vanguard, the multiplayer sandbox FPS module for sci-fi MMO EVE Online. EVE players with an active Omega account have the opportunity to access the event by selecting the EVE Vanguard character profile in the EVE Online launcher from midday UTC on December 7 to midday UTC on December 11, 2023. CCP Games also announced more ways for Capsuleers to cause mayhem on the frontlines of New Eden with Ice Refinery Heists and AIR Daily Goals, coming with the next patch for EVE Online: Havoc on December 12, 2023.

Learn more about what to expect from ‘First Strike’ from some of the developers behind EVE Vanguard in this video:

As part of the Havoc expansion, players who participate in ‘First Strike’ will contribute to the ongoing corruption in the war zones of New Eden by delivering vital resources to fuel the MMO’s player-driven economy and completing contracts to turn the tides of battle. Participants will also become a part of the module’s Founders’ Access program. EVE Vanguard’s Founders’ Access will have multiple phases, with the first phase focused on providing EVE Online Omega players with access to regularly scheduled limited-time live events as part of their premium subscription. By offering Founders’ Access to EVE Vanguard as an added benefit to EVE’s Omega subscribers, players can add their voice toward the development of EVE Vanguard while it is still early in development.

“With EVE Vanguard, our goal is to deliver a sandbox shooter that innovates while staying true to its EVE identity; what you see in ‘First Strike’ are its foundations,” says Snorri Árnason, Game Director for EVE Online. “Much like with EVE Online, what players see today is not how EVE Vanguard will be in six months, let alone six years. Right now, our focus is on building tight, satisfying combat at the core of our open-ended FPS experience. We will then expand upon that by adding layers of depth to EVE Vanguard over time with new gameplay features, systems, content, and interoperability with EVE Online.”

“EVE Online – and, by extension, EVE Vanguard – is built in conjunction with the community and our minds on the future,” adds Bergur Finnbogason, EVE Online’s Creative Director. “This is an early look – we are inviting the EVE community to join us in EVE Vanguard’s development cycle as part of the module’s Founders’ Access program so they can have a voice in shaping its future evolution. This is not just lip service – community feedback is an invaluable part of CCP’s decision-making process, and that will only increase over time as EVE Vanguard is put into more players' hands.”

EVE Vanguard is the multiplayer sandbox FPS module for EVE Online, currently in early development at CCP Games’ London studio. Players take on the role of the Vanguard, a mysterious new generation of war clones. Deploying onto the surface of planets littered with turmoil and opportunity, the Vanguard must engage in hazardous missions to unlock their own potential. The Vanguard’s story and purpose will unfold as more limited-time live events are deployed at a later date.

Check out the latest Scope video to discover the background events immediately preceding ‘First Strike’, setting the stage for players to become a new force in New Eden:

See this EVE News item for an overview of EVE Vanguard’s development roadmap and further details for the ‘First Strike’ event. To stay up to speed with the latest EVE Vanguard news and developments, visit and register at vanguard.eveonline.com. Those interested in learning more about the benefits of an EVE Online Omega subscription can go to the official website here.

The day after ‘First Strike’ ends, CCP Games will launch the next patch for EVE Online: Havoc on December 12, 2023. The patch adds the Ice Refinery Heist, a massive, high-octane fleet-oriented activity. Ice Refinery Heists can spawn in any Insurgency system once a specific stage of corruption or suppression is reached, offering all engaged players the opportunity to claim top-tier rewards unique to the activity.

Also coming to EVE Online with the Havoc patch is AIR Daily Goals. An upgrade to daily challenges, AIR Daily Goals will present Capsuleers with four robust tasks to complete, ranging from PvE or PvP combat, industry, or exploration. A core reward, EverMarks, and ISK are available upon completion of each goal, with Skill Points awarded to those who complete at least two of the four AIR Daily Goals.

EVE Vanguard’s first pre-alpha playtest and the Havoc expansion update mark the conclusion of EVE Online’s monumental 20th year of continuous operation. As the spacefaring MMO moves into its third decade, EVE’s intrepid Capsuleers can look forward to a pair of new content expansions as well as multiple epic in-game events, and write the ongoing history of the world’s largest living work of science fiction throughout 2024 and beyond.

Assets for EVE Vanguard are here, and assets for EVE Online, including the Havoc expansion, are in the press kit here.

For the latest happenings in and outside New Eden, visit EVE News. Download EVE Online for free by visiting www.eveonline.com.

About EVE Online®

EVE Online (PC/Mac) is a compelling, community-driven sci-fi MMO game where players can build and pilot a wide variety of spaceships, traversing vast solar systems for free and choosing their own path from countless options, experiencing space exploration, immense PvP and PvE battles, mining, industry and a sophisticated player economy in an ever-expanding sandbox. EVE is a captivating game in which hundreds of thousands of players compete for riches, power, glory, and adventure, forging their own destinies in a single thriving universe.

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About CCP Games

CCP is a leading independently operated game developer that has been praised for its artistry, technology and game design that facilitates emergent behavior, empowering players with compelling means of self-expression. Founded in 1997 on the principle of pushing the envelope and breaking new ground on all levels, CCP is on a mission to create virtual worlds more meaningful than real life. With the launch of EVE Online in May 2003, CCP established itself as a pioneer of cutting-edge massively multiplayer games, winning numerous awards and receiving critical acclaim worldwide. CCP is headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland, and has additional studios in London and Shanghai.

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