The gaming company behind the MMO video game EVE Online is to build a sculpture in its native Iceland to honour the millions of players of the game to date.
The microcosm game is something of an obsession for its half a million unique players each year, who in the game build economies, starfleets and empires to dominate the universe.
The largest online battle in the game’s history had an estimated cost to players in the region of US$200,000.
With such time and money invested in the game, the game’s development team members at Iceland-based CCP feel it’s only right they build an honorary statue to commemorate all of its lost digital comrades through history.
A gaming time capsule
The statue’s official unveiling is expected to happen in April in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, and those at its unveiling should expect an impressive sight.
The sculpture will be a dark aluminium sculpture standing 5 metres (16.5 feet) tall and will have engraved on it an in-game quote, as well as a list of every single active and paying player up until 1 March this year.
Beneath the structure will be a time capsule containing a laptop full of media images, video, and messages from players, designers and others involved with the game.
Speaking about the monument, CCP’s co-founder, Ívar Kristjánsson, said the monument shows the blurring of reality between the real world and the online one.
“This newly confirmed monument extends the efforts CCP has at creating a truly unique universe. In this case through a landmark that bridges the gap between the real world and the virtual.”
