Google DeepMind Takes Minority Stake in EVE Online Developer

Google DeepMind has taken a minority stake in the developer of EVE Online and will use the game to study intelligence in complex, dynamic, player-driven systems. The research partnership was announced as the management of the game's developer completed a $120 million buyout from South Korean publisher Pearl Abyss, which had acquired the studio in 2018.

The newly independent company is rebranding as Fenris Creations and said it will continue to operate without any restructuring or layoffs. In a joint statement, the companies said EVE Online presents a uniquely rich environment for study, particularly for developing AI systems that use long-horizon planning, memory, and continual learning.

DeepMind will conduct controlled experiments on its models in a specially designed offline version of the game running on a local server. The experiments will not directly affect the experience of players in the live online game. The two companies will also explore new gameplay experiences enabled by these technologies.

Google DeepMind has previously used games as testing grounds for machine learning models, including Go, Atari VCS games, and StarCraft. The company has more recently begun using virtual world models to help AI systems learn to operate in physical reality.

The developer said in an open letter that EVE Online is one of the few environments where questions about intelligence can be explored inside something that already behaves like a living world. The company added that studying EVE will allow the models to explore difficult problems, long timelines, and strange possibilities.

A statement from Google DeepMind described the EVE community creation as unparalleled in gaming and a one-of-a-kind simulation for testing general-purpose artificial intelligence in a safe sandbox environment. The companies said the partnership aims to push the frontier of artificial intelligence and explore new player experiences.

The newly independent company cited differences in operating context, current strategic focus, and long-term priorities as reasons for separating from Pearl Abyss. A spokesperson for Pearl Abyss said selling the company to its current management was in the best interest of both parties’ futures.

Pearl Abyss had paid $225 million for the studio six years earlier. The developer had faced financial struggles in recent years, reporting annual losses nearing $20 million in both 2023 and 2024. Those losses were attributed in part to development costs for the blockchain-based spinoff EVE Frontier, which launched an alpha test last year, and the extraction-shooter spinoff EVE Vanguard, planned for release later this year.

The company said it was profitable in 2025 on $70 million in revenue and maintains strong reserves. With internal control restored, the company said it will be able to make long-term strategic decisions similar to those made before the 2018 acquisition.

The developer said its “EVE Forever” philosophy guides decisions about what the game universe and the company need to endure over time.