Over 10 years ago, CCP released an EVE-based FPS called Dust 514. An exclusive to the PS3, I was nevertheless intrigued enough to download and play it. The results were… less than ideal. The bones of something were there, but between the decision to be PS3-exclusive and the rather insane competitive environment in which it was released, it had no chance to breathe. Dust 514 was shut down in 2016.
Cue my surprise in 2023 to then receive this email:
I guess technically it should not have been a surprise that the ghost of FPS past has returned. It was not even a year after Dust 514’s original 2013 release that it was potentially getting “rebooted” on PC. Then again, CCP says a lot of things, and its only nine years later that they appear to be on the verge of delivering them. Maybe.
Let me just say, from my perspective, it’s actually a great time to be releasing a FPS. Back in 2013, the competition was at the top of its game: PlanetSide 2, Battlefield 3 & 4, Warframe, Call of Duty: something or other, Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3, Titanfall, and more. A decade later and… I dunno. PlanetSide 2 is still around, but it’s not the same. Battlefield 2042 is a flop and Battlefield V wasn’t good either. Call of Duty still sells millions of copies, but there’s controversy. Look, there are tons of arena-based shooters and Fortnite and whatever, but what I’m saying is that now is probably the best time to try to penetrate the market with something new.
So, CCP, I have subscribed to your newsletter. Just, please don’t immediately slam your dick in a car door agai…
Goddammit, CCP! I mean, OK, maybe that makes sense for early access. Then you pivot, right? Right?
With the model Vanguard is proposing, simply using EVE Online’s existing subscription for access frees up the dev team to focus less on monetization and more on creating the most compelling game possible. […] EVE Online’s creative director Bergur “CCP Burger” Finnbogason called it a “relief” when the team realized the monetization model could be baked into EVE Online’s existing subscription.
While the initial monetization is coming from EVE Online Omega subs, that’s not going to be the end goal for Vanguard. Of course, there will need to be more monetization on top of the sub to keep the development afloat long-term. […]
What the literal shit. What the actual fuck. A subscription-based FPS?
I mean, congratulations, I think that might be a first. There are battlepasses galore in this space, but I don’t think anyone had the chutzpah to outright charge $19.99/month to play their FPS. If this was any other company, I would think it silly to assume this monetization strategy would persist outside of Early Access. Leveraging your existing customer base to playtest your new title is Marketing 101.
But this idea is stupid enough that I think CCP will go for it. In which case, I would ask: what was the fucking point? The goal is either to make the EVE tent bigger or extract more dollars from your existing playbase. This accomplishes neither! Maybe there is an angle where you lure the Alpha (F2P) portion of players to pony up money for the real subscription, but that seems really weak.
For now, this is all just prognostication. Maybe upon release, CCP will do the sensible thing and either sell a box or go F2P again with an optional Omega subscription granting battlepass-level benefits. In which case, I will try out Vanguard like I did Dust 514 before it. God knows I’m starving for a more modernized PlanetSide 2 or Battlefield analog that doesn’t suck.
But I’m certainly not going to be subscribing to one.
In An Age 
Dust to Dust
Nov 29
Posted by Azuriel
Over 10 years ago, CCP released an EVE-based FPS called Dust 514. An exclusive to the PS3, I was nevertheless intrigued enough to download and play it. The results were… less than ideal. The bones of something were there, but between the decision to be PS3-exclusive and the rather insane competitive environment in which it was released, it had no chance to breathe. Dust 514 was shut down in 2016.
Cue my surprise in 2023 to then receive this email:
I guess technically it should not have been a surprise that the ghost of FPS past has returned. It was not even a year after Dust 514’s original 2013 release that it was potentially getting “rebooted” on PC. Then again, CCP says a lot of things, and its only nine years later that they appear to be on the verge of delivering them. Maybe.
Let me just say, from my perspective, it’s actually a great time to be releasing a FPS. Back in 2013, the competition was at the top of its game: PlanetSide 2, Battlefield 3 & 4, Warframe, Call of Duty: something or other, Borderlands 2, Far Cry 3, Titanfall, and more. A decade later and… I dunno. PlanetSide 2 is still around, but it’s not the same. Battlefield 2042 is a flop and Battlefield V wasn’t good either. Call of Duty still sells millions of copies, but there’s controversy. Look, there are tons of arena-based shooters and Fortnite and whatever, but what I’m saying is that now is probably the best time to try to penetrate the market with something new.
So, CCP, I have subscribed to your newsletter. Just, please don’t immediately slam your dick in a car door agai…
Goddammit, CCP! I mean, OK, maybe that makes sense for early access. Then you pivot, right? Right?
What the literal shit. What the actual fuck. A subscription-based FPS?
I mean, congratulations, I think that might be a first. There are battlepasses galore in this space, but I don’t think anyone had the chutzpah to outright charge $19.99/month to play their FPS. If this was any other company, I would think it silly to assume this monetization strategy would persist outside of Early Access. Leveraging your existing customer base to playtest your new title is Marketing 101.
But this idea is stupid enough that I think CCP will go for it. In which case, I would ask: what was the fucking point? The goal is either to make the EVE tent bigger or extract more dollars from your existing playbase. This accomplishes neither! Maybe there is an angle where you lure the Alpha (F2P) portion of players to pony up money for the real subscription, but that seems really weak.
For now, this is all just prognostication. Maybe upon release, CCP will do the sensible thing and either sell a box or go F2P again with an optional Omega subscription granting battlepass-level benefits. In which case, I will try out Vanguard like I did Dust 514 before it. God knows I’m starving for a more modernized PlanetSide 2 or Battlefield analog that doesn’t suck.
But I’m certainly not going to be subscribing to one.
P.S. NoizyGamer has a good write-up from the EVE side of things.
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