Update [05/11/26]: Fenris Creations has confirmed an undisclosed number of employees have been laid off to create a "more focused development structure" around EVE Online spin-off EVE Frontier. The studio told Vertical Slice the project remains in active development despite the cuts.
"Fenris Creations can confirm that we are making changes to the EVE Frontier development team as part of a review of the project's priorities, structure and development plans. Regrettably, these changes include a reduction in roles. We recognise the impact on our colleagues and are committed to supporting those affected with care and respect," reads the statement.
"EVE Frontier remains in active development. The changes are intended to establish a more focused development structure and support the project's long-term ambitions. These changes were proposed by the EVE Frontier leadership team, who believe a more focused development structure will better serve the project. They are specific to EVE Frontier, rather than part of a broader company-wide restructuring. Our statement at the time of independence reflected our plans at that point, with these subsequent decisions taken in response to the project's development needs."
Original story [04/11/26]: EVE Online developer Fenris Creations, formerly known as CCP Games, is making layoffs around six months after regaining its independence from South Korean publisher Pearl Abyss.
Multiple employees impacted by the cuts shared the news on LinkedIn. "Unfortunately I've been affected by redundancy and so my time at Fenris Creations (previously CCP Games ) has come to an end," wrote one person.
The studio's new ownership group, which includes its own senior management team and long-term investors, regained control in a transaction valued at $120 million.
Among those investors was Google, which took a minority stake in the company to bolster the development of AI technology including DeepMind as part of a broader "research partnership."
"The collaboration will explore areas including long-horizon planning, memory, and continual learning, using EVE Online as a uniquely rich environment for study," said Fenris at the time. "Google DeepMind will work with an offline version of EVE Online running on a local server to test and evaluate models in a controlled setting. Together, the partnership will also explore new gameplay experiences enabled by these technologies."
It's unclear how much Google invested in the studio. When announcing its return to independence, Fenris said the pivot would not involve restructuring or layoffs.
"There are no planned changes to the company’s organizational structure, and its headquarters will remain in Vatnsmýrin, Iceland. Studios in Reykjavík, London, and Shanghai will continue to operate as they do today," it added.
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