EVE Online is working on its second decade of spaceship warfare, proving that a small studio with an ambitious idea can become something unique and special. CCP will usher in the second decade of EVE at this year’s Fanfest event in Reykjavik, Iceland, where the crew has put together quite a bit of entertainment and events for EVE fans. A few things you can expect to see are player panels, a performance from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the new “Make EVE Real” speaker track, the latest gaming news and more.

Additionally, EVE Fanfest attendees will be treated to an appearance from Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson, who will take part in what’s being called “a completely unique spectacle.” Knowing CCP, that will be something interesting to witness in its own right.

Early bird tickets for this year’s event have nearly sold out according to CCP, so head over to the EVE Fanfest website and pick yours up if you plan to make it down to this year’s event.

CCP Ushers In The Second Decade of EVE Online at Fanfest 2013

The greatest fan event in gaming celebrates ten years with an unmatched community

7 February 2013 - Reykjavik, Iceland: CCP Games, the world’s most successful independent massively multiplayer online game (MMO) developer, today announced the theme for EVE Fanfest 2013 is “The Second Decade.” In its tenth straight year of subscriber growth and following a hugely successful free-expansion in Retribution, EVE Online is set to reach even higher levels now thatDUST 514 PlayStation®3 beta players have joined the same shared universe.

EVE Fanfest is the annual festival that features over 1,000 EVE pilots, DUST 514 mercs and their friends and family from around the globe coming together in Reykjavik, Iceland for three straight days of constant celebration. This year will be the biggest, most amazing Fanfest yet, taking place less than a month before EVE Online’s tenth anniversary on May 6th and celebrated by the most unique and imaginative community in all of gaming.

As of this announcement, tickets for the event are nearly sold out, a truly blistering pace as the “Early Bird” package just ended with several of the extra events already at capacity.

“Fanfest is the truest celebration of the EVE universe, where online foes become instant friends and shared war stories over drinks bring our wonderful community even closer together,” said Hilmar Veigar Petursson, CEO of CCP. “This year, as DUST 514’s journey truly begins and we celebrate ten glorious years of EVE Onlinewith our fans, CCP will be going bigger and bolder than ever before by creating a truly amazing Fanfest for those attending or following along.”

This year, even more unique events will supplement the amazing panels, such as presentations, PvP tournaments, exotic local excursions, game demos, round tables, first-looks, developer pub crawls, concerts, parties and more.

Icelandic Symphony Orchestra

The night before the official opening of Fanfest, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra will perform selected music from the original EVE Online soundtrack in an inspired and artistic performance that will set the mood for the events to come. Tickets and more information are available athttp://midi.is/concerts/15/387/

Make EVE Real

The new “Make EVE Real” speaker track will include luminary speakers and scientific pioneers who will share bold initiatives for humanity and its place among the stars, exploring areas where the tech and science behind EVE’s future universe could become a modern reality. The first announced speaker, Michael Laine (President of LiftPort Group) will present a vision for the future of space exploration via a “space elevator” following over a decade of research with a world-class team of experts and a recently successful Kickstarter campaign to conduct an experiment and to engage the global community. More speakers actively involved in advancing towards what we now consider science-fiction will be announced in the coming weeks.

Mixed Martial Arts

Icelandic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) phenom Gunnar “Gunni” Nelson (10-0-1) will take part in a completely unique spectacle at Fanfest—bringing the fight to the ground like the DUST 514mercenaries of the EVE Universe. Nelson recently signed a sponsorship with CCP for DUST 514and will be attending Fanfest fresh off a Feb 16 UFC match in London’s legendary Wembley Arena.

More announcements about the massive EVE Universe Second Decade celebration will be revealed in the coming weeks, from musical acts to in-depth programming leading up to the famous Party at the Top of the World.

Tickets for EVE Fanfest and more information about the event can be found at:http://fanfest.eveonline.com

The Fanfest 2013 promotional trailer can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AuQnCfVq1M