Exclusive BBC Interview with New EVE: Valkyrie Executive Producer Owen O’Brien (Part Two)

[Part Two of our transcription of EVE: Valkyrie Executive Producer Owen O’Brien‘s interview with BBC Radio’s Adam Rosser. Read part one here.]

Adam Rosser: At this stage, how well integrated into the EVE universe is this going to be?

Owen O’Brien: That’s… I think it’s set in the EVE universe if you see what I mean, so it will look familiar to people … are EVE fans. Right now, we’re focusing on the game: the gameplay, the mechanics, the experience. We’re not getting overly worried about how it’s going to fit into the wider EVE universe. That is something we want to do further down the line, but primarily we want to make sure that the core experience and the compulsion loops are there to make people enjoy the experience – and then it can develop into the wider things in the EVE universe.

AR: Is this one of the new strengths of CCP? The fact that they have these teams which are available for them to re-purpose, to deal with things like [DUST] 514, to deal with things like Valkyrie, now that they’re bigger than just being in Reykjavik?

OO: I’ve only been in the company for two weeks, so I can’t talk in too much detail, but I’m very impressed that they were able to take something that, as you said at the top of the interview, was basically a project born out of the passion of a group of guys in their spare time, recognised that they’ve got something there, they’ve got lightning in a bottle and they had the flexibility and the vision to give them the resources they need and grow the team out and actually make something more fully rounded with this.

So I think it’s a testament to the CCP management that they have that vision and flexibility to react to opportunities when they arise. Not all organisations are able to do that.

AR: Another question which will resonate with the CCP fans that I know are out there and a couple of the guys that I talk to – have you picked your name yet?

OO: I have, yes. I did it yesterday actually, um… But I’m not going to tell you what it is yet.

AR: [Disappointed] Ah, so you’re not going to announce it?

OO: [laughs]

AR: The last question has to be the burning question for a lot of people. Do you have a clear idea of when people are actually going to be able to play this thing?

OO: The short answer is ‘yes’, but I can’t go into specifics right now. The short answer – and that’s all we’re giving at the moment – is that we’re going to be releasing something in 2014. So next year.

AR: That’s not that long to wait really, is it?

OO: It’s not, it’s not at all.

[Interview end]

To catch Adam’s full Game On feature on Tuesday 17th at 2205 Eastern US time (Wed 19th 0305 GMT), tune in to Up All Night on BBC Radio 5 Live on from 2000 Eastern US (0100 GMT). 

Edit (18/09/13): The full Game On segment of Up All Night is available for review for 7 days here (from 02:05:00 onwards). As well as discussion of EVE: Valkyrie, there is coverage of J.J. Abrams’ thoughts on Star Trek video games and a review of Lost Planet 3.

A Soundcloud recording of Adam Rosser’s interview with Owen O’Brien is available below: