The Future of EVE: Where Legends Begin

Glorious capsuleers!

With echoes of celebration still ringing in our ears, Fanfest 2025 has officially wrapped, and what an experience it’s been! From community-driven panels to jaw-dropping reveals, the EVE community brought the heart of New Eden to life across three unforgettable days in the hallowed halls of Harpa. With a bold new EVE Online expansion, a deep dive into Vanguard, EVE’s evolving MMOFPS experience, and the strongest showing yet of a player-driven universe, Fanfest 2025 made one thing clear: the future of EVE is in excellent hands. 

Trade Hub Shenanigans

The Trade Hub was a hive of activity this year, where capsuleers from every corner of the galaxy converged to enjoy old favorites (EVE Art Corner! EVE Merch Store! Lady Brewery Beer!) and new wonders (Experience Spatial Audio, Iceland Gaming Expo, UI Safe Space). Alliances were made and broken over intense rounds of Titan Forge’s EVE War for New Eden board game, and players tried their luck at the Hyper Wheel in the name of raising funds for charity. High-five a dev, anyone?

Throughout Fanfest, the Trade Hub functioned as the beating heart of the event, where attendees ate, drank, and made plans for EVE tattoos together. There was incredible fan art and a magical atmosphere with something for everyone.

Panels and Presentations

Community voices led the charge across dozens of insightful panels over 3 days of epic programming. Day 1 was all about connection, with standout sessions like EVE for Everyone, where streamers and devs discussed inclusion across the cluster, and Weaponizing EVE for Good, highlighting the EVE community’s charitable initiatives. 

The Little Things panel on Day 2 was a fan-favorite session where CCP developers showcased a series of small but impactful quality-of-life improvements stemming from direct player feedback. The highlight of Little Things was the opportunity for players from all over the world to share their insights and make requests for changes that would make meaningful improvements to their gameplay. Did people have opinions? Oh yes! Players and devs alike enjoyed lively dialogue during this panel, where laughs (and great ideas) were shared.

Other favorite sessions included the Drifter Summit YC127, UNDOCK: EVE from a New Player Perspective, The Art of EVE - A Visual Showcase, EVEconomics, and Day 3’s Inventing the Universe Through Astrophysics. 

And of course our special guest speakers presented their keynotes: Dr. Becky Smethurst knocked it out of the park with It’s Not Easy Growing a Super Massive Black Hole and Dr. Ronald Turner presented Helping to Make the EVE Universe a Reality: The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program and joined us for fascinating conversation at the Real Life Space Panel.

EVE Keynote - Where Legends Begin

Excitement was running high for the EVE Keynote, kicked off by CEO of CCP Games, CCP Hellmar.

Top billing went to EVE: Legion, the next major expansion for EVE Online launching 27 May. Legion ushers in a brand new era in New Eden, built on unity, ambition, and the limitless potential of cooperation. Highlights included a focus on corporate identity, Freelance Jobs, new tools for sovereignty, and two devastating new warships: the Triglavian Babaroga marauder and Angel Cartel Sarathiel dreadnought.

And the good stuff kept on coming. Other juicy upgrades included:

• Major map enhancements to better serve players

• Improved base navigation for better functionality

• Cruiser and capital balance changes

• Visual overhaul for some cruisers – and more!

In addition to these exciting improvements, devs revealed some major post-Legion expansion themes including capital escalation, diversifying capitals in space, resource gathering, and pioneering. 

The keynote also revealed interesting tidbits that we learned over the last year - for starters, your dreadnoughts did 86 billion in damage ! We found out which player alliances had endured for 10 years or more (actually amazing), and EVE Galaxy Conquest Season 4 was introduced as the biggest evolution yet – with greater fleet capacity and more intense gameplay.

Rounding out a keynote brimming with innovation, it was announced that a foundational poetry book of verses defining life in New Eden – where players share their wisdom – is in the works. EVE is mythology in the making. 

Purpose is Power - Legion Expansion Keynote

Watch the full Legion Expansion Keynote on YouTube!

The much-anticipated Legion expansion keynote dug deeper into the mechanics of this upcoming release, and players can look forward to a galaxy more interconnected than ever when Legion launches.

Capsuleers applauded the reveal of Freelance Jobs, a brand-new way to connect players to corps via player-made tasks and give experienced players the chance to share their knowledge by mentoring newcomers in all things EVE. Plus, Freelance Jobs are a great way to grow strong, healthy corps that combine the enthusiasm of new recruits with the wisdom of seasoned veterans, and support alliances against their rivals. 

Other reveals included updates to nullsec sovereignty with the announcement of three new upgrades providing more flexibility, customization, and scalability. The capability to immediately capture existing skyhooks was well received, as was the Sarathiel’s ability to use a capital micro jump drive, even when in siege mode.

We introduced:

• Nullsec sovereignty tools: new upgrades, system-wide modifiers, and skyhook capture mechanics

• Ship balance passes: capital ships and cruisers get tuning

• Corporation palette: the new corporation palette tool for visual customization (everyone gets a color picker!) makes it easier to personalize your ships and better express corporation identity both in- and outside of the game

• Robust ESI updates: these play a major role in bridging the gap into New Eden, a lifeline affecting how EVE connects to everything around it

The Legion expansion trailer introduced capsuleers to a new world of possibilities that they can anticipate, starting 27 May. Read about the Legion expansion in more detail!

EVE Vanguard Keynote

The spirited EVE Vanguard keynote on Day 3 revealed where this cutting-edge,  boots-on-the-ground experience is heading. We introduced the world of EVE Vanguard and what awaits players in Early Access, showcasing why EVE Vanguard will set a new standard for the MMOFPS. From the systems and vision shaping the Vanguard experience, to the potential for both Vanguard players and EVE’s most powerful alliances to shape the war from its foundations, this was one to watch. 

EVE Vanguard highlights included:

• New weapon systems and armor classes

• Procedural biomes and expanded combat zones

• A revamped drop system and persistent progression

• Vanguard Founder’s Program on Discord

The next open playtest event, Nemesis, begins September 16. Populate planets with Vanguard Bastions and test out new suits and weapons – this will be the final pre-alpha test before EVE Vanguard enters Early Access in Summer 2026.

See the Full EVE Vanguard Keynote here!

The Extracurriculars

No one goes to Fanfest for the presentations alone – even though they’re amazing. That’s because the additional parties are ridiculous and the organized tours are literally life-changing. Attendees leave Iceland with memories for a lifetime – not only from the buffet of incredible knowledge and talent on offer during the event, but also from the opportunities to socialize, connect, and explore all that this chilly island in the north has to offer. 

This year, capsuleers enjoyed bar mixers and a LAN party, a Hackathon, Queeraoke and metal mayhem, city walking tours, foodie tours, tours of the EVE monument, and tours inside an actual glacier. You flew, hiked, walked, and drove, saw pearls of west Iceland and gems of the south coast. And when you were tired of the all-night dancing? It was time for a beautiful Sunday soak in the Sky Lagoon. 

Fanfest 2026 Announced

Mark your calendars: Fanfest 2026 returns to Reykjavík 14-16 May next year! Tickets are already available via Eventbrite. Expect more reveals, intriguing player stories, and new ways to shape the future of EVE.

EVE is Forever - You are EVE

To our community: thank you for joining us at Fanfest 2025! Whether in person or across the stars via stream, it’s your passion that fuels New Eden. The evolution of EVE lives and dies with you, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the friendship and innovation you bring to the game. Until next time: fly safe, brave capsuleers, we’ll see you at Fanfest 2026!