EVE Online and Dual Universe are very similar games, there’s no denying it. The emergent gameplay and player-driven creativity are a big part of what can make both games incredible. So it stands to reason why Novaquark would bring multiple CCP alums onboard. Their latest hiring, Högni Gylfason, was brought on as the new CTO (Chief Technical Officer) after working for CCP as a Technical Director. It’s hoped that his experience and vision will help developer Novaquark bring new insights into the development of Dual Universe.
Gylfason’s goal at the company will be to help optimize workflows and support the development of a highly scalable platform with potentially millions of players in the same game world. There are of course some challenges with the idea of a single-shard game. Despite having everyone in one place and playing at the same time, not everyone plays the same way, so technical challenges present themselves when the team has to sort through all the player data and identify problems. “Where the two differ however,” he continued, “is how Dual Universe deals with the issues surrounding supporting a massive number of players in the same location.”
The team also hopes that Dual Universe can inhabit a space in the games industry that’s been a bit lacking. The space of MMOs has been increasingly dominated by theme park rides, where the player feels less and less in control of their fate. The linear gameplay style of popular MMOs like World of Warcraft appeals to millions of fans, but Novaquark wants to be a little different.
“Given the popularity of other games that serve as an outlet for players’ creativity, Dual Universe can rival even the largest ones while providing a single world for everyone worldwide to play together; a world that is also entirely editable thanks to Novaquark’s integrated voxel technology,” says Gylfason. There’s still a ton of work to be done. With the expansive in-game economy, endless crafting and industry, and all of the other moving pieces; it all makes Dual Universe quite the beast to tame.
In other news, the company also recently gotten more work done on the upcoming new alpha build. The Alpha 3 release for Dual Universe will be coming later this January, with the Beta 1 update planned to release in Summer 2020.
