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Rixx Javix's avatar

The Mysteries of Science Fiction

I've long argued that Eve Online could benefit from even more science fiction mystery and weirdness. The history of science fiction is loaded with examples that could potentially work well in the Eve universe, from Dyson spheres to Ringworlds. The Eve universe is strangely limited to spaceships and stations of one form or another. And we don't even talk about aliens.

It's important that any potential crossovers adhere to the guardrails that New Eden operates within. Which is a major reason initial reactions to the Doctor Who announcement were mixed, it wasn't initially seen as a solid crossover event. Dr Who not being known as a spaceship-centric, non-alien style universe that contained most of its action to outer space.

This is why IP like Star Wars or Star Trek have long been considered perfect choices. They are, after all, spaceship-centric and a significant portion of the action takes place in outer-space. Where IP like Dune, for example, is primarily a planet bound story in large part. Ultimately it isn't so much what IP is chosen as how that IP is integrated into the universe we know and love that is important. Eventually this approach changed the narrative about the Dr Who crossover for many players.

Beyond adding elements from the vast history of science fiction however, what specific IPs would work well? It would be interesting to coordinate a potential crossover to tie-in to a major release schedule, so that Eve could benefit from the additional media coverage such a release typically garners. Such as a new Star Wars film, for example. Or, they could go the nostalgia direction and pull from well-beloved IP from the past - like Firefly, or Babylon 5. There are some potential up-coming IPs that would work well in my opinion.

One such potential, of many, is the new Battlestar Galactica series that is currently in production. Imagine a rag-tag fleet of ships that suddenly appear in the northern reaches of null sec space and slowly and mysteriously start moving south across the stars? There could be any number of events, activities, and content potential from such an event. From those trying to help the fleet reach the Eve Gate, and those trying to stop it and steal technology, or even worse. This is just one example.

Eve is one of the greatest science fiction universes to ever exist and I don't think it gets enough credit as such. But I also believe it has the potential to be ever greater. Crossovers, if properly conceived, could be an excellent way to enhance that reputation.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Excellent submission Rixx! Very thought-provoking. A Battlestar Galactica crossover could be brilliant. I'd love a nostalgia-leaning crossover too. I think Firefly would be best: no aliens, powerful federal governments, and bloodthirsty pirates. I could even see the Reavers being tied to the Blood Raiders.

EVEIL's avatar

Stargate!

Any event would need to have a plausible way to interact with the Eve universe. Shoehorning in a different IP is a surefire way to cause the player base to break out the pitchforks.

Stargate has a wealth of lore to choose from, and many cultures and civilizations explored through the various series of SG-1, Atlantis and Universe. Stargate Universe provides a neat entry into New Eden. The Ancients dispersed a fleet of Seed Ships to travel through the cosmos millions of years ago. The role of these ships was to visit distant galaxies, seeding them with Stargates as they went.

One such Seed Ship could be spotted on the fringes of New Eden, travelling through the galaxy as the event progresses. In systems it visits, event sites would spawn where Stargates have been seeded. Perhaps unknown enemies start to emerge from seeded gates (or fan favourite enemies such as the Goa'uld or Replicators). Data/Relic sites could spawn as some form of Ancient probes/scout vessels.

Players could have a goal to ultimately destroy the seed ship, or fight back against invading forces. Success resulting in some Ancient technology that could advance Eve's lore, or more directly rewards players with some useful loot.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Stargate is a great idea! I inserted a lowkey Stargate crossover in a D&D campaign I ran, which resulted in or monk wielding an OP Ma'Tok staff for half the campaign.

As for a Barbie crossover... no comment. Although I highly encourage you to share that video in the feed; to quote the video: 'it's fantastic'.

orik Kado's avatar

omg Stargete Atlantis please

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar

In my opinion, I think a "Dune" cross-over event could be sick.

  1. NPC sites that have actual dune enemy ships in

  2. Ground landings for ground combat within Eve Online i.e. Not Vanguard but vehicle battles.

  3. Vanguard players could have events that are "Vanguard Vs Dune Soldiers" etc

  4. We could have some new ships introduced into Eve

  5. We could have some "Dune" themed skins added to ships

  6. Dune-type armor could be added in for character customization.

  7. Maybe a FOB to destroy that looks like a Dune mothership

Just some ideas :) But yeh, Duneo 4tw

Rixx Javix's avatar

IP inspired ship skins is another idea that I love. It's not a new one, but I still think it could be amazing if done right.

greybill's avatar

Any fashion brand ever. I'd like to look fancy out and in-game. Having more options is never a bad thing. But preferably, it would be a brand that also makes nice hats. That could spice up the rather stale character portrait meta.

Alternatively, I could also imagine Cyberpunk 2077-esk apparel, SHIP skins, and events happening: Chrome up with Johnny Silverhands well... hand! Or get that fancy Jacket of a Street Samurai. And why not pick up some smart SMG with your Asian takeaway? Who knows what tripped out gonk you might meet on the way home in your Valentino-modded Punisher. Or maybe you rather fly a Rifter built by Scavs?

Alex Sinclair's avatar

It's safe to say that I wasn't expecting this answer 😂

Brother Grimoire's avatar

Oh hell yeah, it's my time to shine! This is a topic that comes up in discussion on my stream like clockwork and I'm excited to explore the possibilities every single time.

To start, there are creative difficulties of including an IP like Stargate or The Expanse in an EVE Online crossover. There isn't too much in the way of established in-universe lore of these IPs to support an interaction between baseline, present day, earth and the numerous far away star systems of the future. Anything is possible with creative writing (looking at you, seed ship plotline), but an established and possible solution already in the lore or one that viewers/users can easily create in their own minds makes it an easier integration while also avoiding the impression that it's a soulless cash grab.

Furthermore, I believe that the true goal of an IP crossover event is to not only entertain the current fanbase, but take advantage of the established fanbase of a partnered IP. With this in mind, it makes sense to enter into a partnership with one that is large and long-established. This allows CCP Games and EVE Online to reap the most benefits.

The previous crossover with Doctor Who was an excellent example of a quality IP crossover with the EVE Online universe. There was no suspension of belief when it came it the possibility of the interactions due to "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey" shenanigans and it took advantage of it's cult following that had been developed over 60 years to bring fresh mea- I mean, new friends, into New Eden. Unfortunately, the failing of this crossover was that a lot of new friends were unable to participate in the event due to their small SP levels and low skill. This resulted in a far lower rate of conversion than what there was the potential for. Learning from these successes and failures will help shape the next great crossover event in EVE Online.

That being said, my number one choice for a crossover into EVE Online would have to be Star Trek. Not only does it tick the boxes for being an establish IP with a cult following and having PLENTY of convenient explanations in the lore for an interaction with the EVE Online universe, but there is also a massive amount of content to take advantage of when crafting the perfect crossover.

Star Trek fans and EVE Online fans do have some overlap as well. I've done sponsorships for Star Trek: Fleet Command that my viewers have thoroughly enjoyed. Star Trek fans are not strangers to MMOs either, with Star Trek Online being a popular destination for gaming fans. This opens the door to a MASSIVE amount of profit. With a little bit of work from the creative departments over at CCP Games, the EVE Online store could be enriched with amazing ship skins and apparel that would guarantee immense profit. For example, the team could create Borg cybernetics, Vulcan ears, Klingon Ridges (which would go great with the Minmatar aesthetic), Star Fleet uniforms, or skins for ships that are undergoing Borg assimilation. Making this crossover and the related items "limited time only" would weaponize the FOMO of the fanbase and further drive sales. Then, a "legacy vault" can be opened in the store later on to give others a chance buy older items that they missed, sparking a second wave of FOMO driven sales. Hilmar could spend those cold Icelandic nights shoveling dollar bills into the furnace to keep warm and not feel bad about it.

TL;DR: Star Trek Crossover - For Fun, For The Fans, For PROFIT

Alex Sinclair's avatar

10/10; would play. Star Trek has been known to do some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff of its own, so I'm sure that they could make this work. It raises the question though: Avatar vs Borg Cube...who wins?

Brother Grimoire's avatar

Probably cube by virtue of boarding party

Sturmer's avatar

A Crossover Where Space Western Meets Cosmic Opera

While IPs like Star Wars, Dune, and Warhammer 40K logically align with EVE Online due to their expansive universes, my heart has always been with "Cowboy Bebop" in my EVE roleplaying adventures. "Cowboy Bebop" tells the tale of a group of bounty hunters in space, navigating a future where Earth is barely habitable. Its charm lies in its detailed solar systems, each with a unique character, much like the vast and varied universe of EVE.

Before CCP Games revamped the crime system and removed capsuleer bounties, one of my favorite activities in EVE was to jump into a system and check the holographic billboards at the stargates for nearby bounties. This was reminiscent of Spike Spiegel, the main character of "Cowboy Bebop," who would check local bounty offices upon arriving in a new system. This added a layer of meaning to my stellar travels, providing an additional reason to explore and hunt, much like the adventurous life of a "Cowboy Bebop" character.

The crossover could integrate "Cowboy Bebop's" narrative and character complexity into EVE's world, introducing nuanced bounty hunting and piracy mechanics, and special missions requiring moral decision-making. It would reflect the anime's themes of moral ambiguity, where the line between right and wrong is often blurred (same as EVE's lowsec life and factional warfare).

Cowboy Bebop - JAZZ Opening | Tank!

Additionally, the 2021 Netflix TV series adaptation of "Cowboy Bebop" brought this space-western theme to an even broader audience, rekindling interest in the franchise. A crossover with EVE Online could capitalize on this renewed popularity, attracting both fans of the original anime and new viewers of the series.

This proposed crossover isn't just about adding new content to EVE; it's about infusing EVE's universe with the unique flavor of "Cowboy Bebop," creating a blend of space opera and space western that would offer a fresh and exciting experience to players.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

To my shame, I still haven't watched Cowboy Bebop, but this feels like a great shout. EVE is so often called a space opera, why not give it some jazz?

Kane Carnifex's avatar

Love, Death & Robots

Swarm the sixth episode of Season 3

Aliens aka Zerg,Tyranids, Bugs….

You can choose from a variety of universes like Warhammer 40k, Starcraft or Starship Troopers.

Aliens appearing in EVE space infecting system to fuel up their supercluster. Vanguard Troops appear near affected planets and use the chaos to push their own goals further or die horrible to the swarm.

Infected Ships half flesh half rest of something floating through space spreading the infection to anybody which doesn't take enough care.

Rumors are around which big Empirefleets have been assimilated and somebody needs to do this job.

—-------------------

Classic Scheme

Different Event Sites by Security and infected Faction & Pirate Faction

Infection spreads if not controlled Free rolling infections will make the system horrible. -> We have to much profitable space make it less :P

Due to the different Universe the Swarm Elite Scouts will die out so EVE can recover for now. Rinse and repeat?

—-------------------

We had this idea already with the drifters and kind of with the Trigs. But I am missing the ancient super power which sees everybody else not as a threat and just wants to grow bigger and bigger.

The idea comes from Helldiver which is the better Starship Troppers Game :( There is nothing better than just slapping through hordes of bugs and why not in EVE?

Yes, we had Dr. Who…. but what is with BUGS?! I do my part!

PS: You could do more but currently we are limited to what we have in eve.

Alex Sinclair's avatar

Now this is a curveball suggestion that I didn't see coming, but I love Love, Death, and Robots and like your thinking!

FUN INC's avatar

I am on the fence on this!

A radical crossover - like, 100% just for demonstrations sake - My Little Pony - just would not work; however something in a Sci-Fi realm would clearly work.

Me personally i would rather any cross-over remain stylistically in the realms of EVE online - so am thinking like star wars, or star trek, stargate, or Dune, or that kind of material.

I certainly would be intrigued to see if there is something like this to ever be on the cards again!

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