Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, believes PC is still the strongest platform for pushing gaming forward and EVE Online is his proof.
During an interview at EVE Fanfest, he emphasized how creativity and experimentation thrive most where the tools are open, the risks are high, and the community shapes the outcome.
EVE Online thrives because players drive the story
Since its 2003 release, EVE Online has carved out a space no other MMO has quite matched. It’s not just about space battles or mining routes. The game gives players free rein to build alliances, trade, spy, or sabotage sometimes over years.
One of the most famous betrayals in gaming history, “Judge’s Betrayal,” happened entirely within the player ecosystem. A diplomat secretly emptied his own alliance’s assets and handed them to a rival, dismantling a years-long power structure in a single move.
These moments are unscripted and deeply human.
Ubisoft’s hit survival FPS Far Cry is becoming a live-action TV series with Fargo creator Noah Hawley and Rob McElhenney at the helm.
PC gives EVE Online the tools to evolve
According to Pétursson, none of this would work without the flexibility of PC. He argues that consoles and mobile devices may dominate headlines, but real innovation keeps happening where experimentation is easy and modding is allowed.
“Most of the innovation in gaming has happened on PC,” he said. “On mobile, we’re seeing refinement but not much invention.”
Discovery still fuels indie success
Pétursson pointed to storefronts like Steam and Itch.io, which help unknown games find unexpected success. He admitted that discovery can still be messy, but added, “Success comes out of very random places.”
That randomness, he explained, is part of what gives games room to breathe and surprise.
Modding culture remains central to EVE Online’s future
Some of gaming’s biggest titles like Counter-Strike and Dota 2 began as mods. For Pétursson, this is more than a historical footnote. It’s a sign that open development makes room for greatness.
With their next game, EVE Frontier, CCP plans to double down on this philosophy by supporting deep modding from the start.
Reasons PC still pushes boundaries:
- Open development tools
- Flexible storefronts
- Endless mod potential
- Long-term community support
- No locked-down ecosystems
These are the things that keep PC vibrant.
EVE Online refuses to fade even after two decades
“The death certificate has been signed several times,” Pétursson joked about the long-running myth that PC gaming is dying.
But EVE Online tells a different story. It’s still growing, still evolving, and still breaking the rules because the players keep writing new ones.
