Google DeepMind acquired a minority stake in the studio behind EVE Online
The purchase cost was in the "millions" of dollars.
EVE Online
This price range for the deal was mentioned by CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson in an interview with Bloomberg. He did not disclose the exact amount nor the specific size of the stake owned by Google DeepMind.
During the conversation, Pétursson added that the investment was not the only aspect of the deal — the parties also entered into a research partnership. According to him, as part of the agreement, Google DeepMind will study how intelligence functions "in complex dynamic systems." For this purpose, the company will conduct experiments in an autonomous version of EVE Online on a local server.
Simultaneously, CCP Games issued a press release in which they announced a rebranding. The studio revealed that it will now operate under a new name — Fenris Creations.
It's noteworthy that the deal with Google DeepMind and the rebranding took place immediately after the creators of EVE Online separated from Pearl Abyss. The studio was bought out by its own management for $120 million, even though the South Korean company had reportedly paid $425 million for it at the time.