Few things get fandoms more excited than a good crossover between popular franchises. There were plenty of strongvideo game collaborations and crossovers in 2021, fromPirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow appearing in Rare’sSea of Thievesto the Normandy from BioWare’sMass Effectappearing in Hello Games’No Man’s Sky. That pattern will no doubt continue well into 2022, though this year is starting off with a somewhat bizarre crossover between CCP Games' MMORPGEVE Onlineand the long-running BBC seriesDoctor Who.
EVE Onlineturned 18 years old in 2021, and during that time it has become a haven for fans looking to immerse themselves in a hard sci-fi universe with a thriving economy, various ecosystems, and lore. Though the developer adds new content for people to mess around with, there’s also a contingent of the fanbase that makes its own fun through months-long wars or taking part inEVE Online’s Project Discovery; currently benefitting COVID-19 research. Yet the upcomingDoctor Whocollaboration isEVE’s “first major cross IP collaboration,” signaling CCP Games may aim to do even more with its title going forward.
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What EVE Online’s Doctor Who Event Entails
Based on information released thus far, “The Interstellar Convergence” event inEVE Onlineshould be relatively simple. Players, also called Capsuleers, will be able to search a new section of space based on the Time Lords' homeworld Gallifrey starting January 13, according to a press release from CCP Games. Between then and February 1, artifacts can be discovered that will help Capsuleers track down Daleks, which drop “unique rewards” to be used in the game’s main setting of New Eden. Login rewards including skill points andDoctor Who-themed items will also be available “throughout the duration of the event.”
More Spacefaring Franchises Could Come to EVE Online
Sticking with the theme of legacy sci-fi franchises, another that could mesh well withEVE OnlineisStar Trek. The first season ofStar Trek’s original series began airing in 1966, about three years afterDoctor Whodebuted on BBC One. Both franchises have self-contained lore that has blossomed over the last 60 years as new showrunners take over, andStar Trekhas just as much a propensity to use deep-space anomolies and other plot devices to explore the far reaches of the universe and time itself.
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A corner of New Eden could become host to explorers from the United Federation of Planets, similar to how Gallifrey will appear alongsideDoctor Whocontent. Shows likeStar Trek VoyagerandDeep Space Nineuse wormholes as a way of letting characters explore other quadrants of the Milky Way, not to mention cross into parallel universes, and the same excuses could allow Starfleet to begin building a base camp in New Eden. Games likeStar Trek: Resurgencecontinue to keep the brand active, and there’s potential for a two-sided crossover betweenEVE OnlineandStar Trek Online.
Meanwhile,Star Warscould just as easily cross into theEVE Onlineuniverse, as the galaxy far, far away is full of ships that can travel faster than light and would readily join Capsuleers in one of the franchise’s many eponymous wars. The brand has expanded plenty since Lucasfilm was acquired by The Walt Disney Company in 2012, augmenting standaloneStar Warsgames likeStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwithcrossovers ranging fromFortnitetoThe Sims 4.EVE Onlinecould fit right in.
Dozens of other popular interstellar sci-fi properties could follow, including the aforementionedMass Effect,Alien,Dune, orThe Expanse- which is receiving a video game adaptation by Telltaleas of this writing. Some may quibble about how all of these major brands invading New Eden would affect the game’s lore, but ultimately crossover events are just fun ways to give fans more content; based on something many players likely enjoy already. WithDoctor Whobeing the first of these crossovers, hopefully more exciting opportunities follow.
