Case Study: Eve Frontier
Forging the Frontier: Sovrun’s Impact on the Rise of Autonomous Worlds in EVE
What is EVE Frontier?
EVE Frontier is a crowd-built virtual world and player-driven sandbox, building and extending on the successes of the sci-fi MMORPG EVE Online. Set in an extremely hazardous region amidst the depths of space, players will need to survive its dangers and rebuild civilizations as they fight to gain control of resources, territories and more. EVE Frontier brings a revolutionary concept to gaming - a fully autonomous, player-driven world, where anyone can build and evolve the game’s ecosystem. EVE Frontier has partnered with MUD for their application layer, using the MUD V2 Framework for its flexibility, modularity, and extensibility. This acts as the primary game interaction layer where smart contract functionality integrates with in-game entities and mechanics. Central to this vision is the use of Smart Objects, which allow for any in-game entity to be represented on-chain and therefore managed and edited by player-written code. Smart Objects could be physical or logical objects, such as characters, ships, items, skill systems, rules of production, marketplaces, and much more. These Smart Objects come in the form of Smart Assemblies (programmable in-game objects), which interact directly with the mechanics of the Frontier, and gives players the freedom to create custom systems within the game’s immutable digital physics. This open, extensible foundation transforms EVE Frontier into a world of boundless possibilities, where every player has the power to build, and expand the game’s evolving frontier.
EVE Frontier’s Phase III Hackathon: Sovrun’s Bold Entry into Autonomous Worlds
During EVE Frontier’s Phase III playtest, an exciting hackathon introduced players to foundational elements of Smart Assemblies, sparking exploration and creativity; namely, through Smart Storage Units (SSU). This event showcased a variety of unique player-driven ideas, offering a glimpse into the limitless potential for player creations and composability as the game continues to expand.
Sovrun brought a fresh and unique concept to the hackathon, setting itself apart from other participants. We developed a system that allowed for the development of eSports ecosystems into the game itself, as well as develop two game iterations as a proof of concept for the viability of the introduced systems. With the entry, Sovrun was able to win the hackathon, besting 12 other submissions from all over the world. The team behind EVE Frontier was wholly impressed with the output, and have commented to say they “never expected such a complete and well thought out submission.” Despite our entry being launched in a simplistic form given the hackathon’s time frame, it demonstrated the exciting future of Autonomous Worlds and the potential for creating revenue-generating strategies through the creation of extensions to the game itself (within the context of EVE Frontier, through Smart Assemblies). This approach marks a shift from traditional play-to-earn models, moving towards a strategy where players and creators build services within fully on-chain games and generate revenue through service fees.
Expanding on the Future Possibilities within the EVE Frontier Universe
Sovrun envisions significant economic opportunities within EVE Frontier and is actively preparing as the game approaches its anticipated launch in early-to-mid 2025. Our early involvement underscores our strong belief in the future of Autonomous Worlds and highlights our readiness to become a core first-mover in building essential services towards players and corporations like we see in EVE Online.
Specifically, we see vast potential in providing strategic services for Corporations and Alliances within EVE Frontier, similar to a SaaS model. In the future, CCP Games, the creators behind the EVE Universe, imagine Corporations having large scale bases with tens to hundred of different Smart Units that must work together harmoniously to achieve operational efficiency. In addition, such Smart Units (Turrets, Storages, Gates) need to have protocols behind them, powering their logic. While creating and managing corporations in itself does not require interacting with smart contracts and creating highly sophisticated Smart Units, introducing protocol capabilities into Smart Units become increasingly more important for those looking to scale their operations and gain a competitive edge over their enemies.We hold strongly that base and operation optimization tooling in the form of providing smart unit protocols that excel at certain tasks & operations will be one of the leading types of services in the game. We can characterize the types of services to the following:
Standalone Services (Protocol + Smart Unit Package)
These are consumer ready services where both the protocol logic and the smart unit are included in a single package. Players get everything needed to deploy a fully functional solution, which typically involves a Smart Unit powered by custom logic. Examples:
Automated Defense Systems: A package that includes Smart Turrets along with pre-configured protocol for targeting, firing, and resource management.
Standalone Protocols for Smart Units
These services focus only on providing protocol logic or custom algorithms for existing Smart Units that a player or Tribe already owns. Instead of offering units with it, these services can enhance or change how existing units in a Base operate by upgrading their logic or automation behind them. Examples:
Target Algorithm for Smart Turrets: A protocol that changes how player’s Smart Turrets prioritize and fire on targets.
Package Services for Entire Operations
These are more service bundles that include everything necessary to manage entire operations, from resource management, logistics, defenses, etc. This type of service will likely include a wide range of smart units, all interacting with each other harmoniously. Examples:
Mining Operations: A package that includes all necessary smart units and their logic to handle an entire mining operation successfully.
Financial & Economic Services
Focuses more on managing financial operations within the game, such as loans, collateralization, currency exchange, etc. Example:
Banking Service: Offering loans to players or Corporations with collateral, using smart contracts to manage repayment and liquidation handling.
Analytic Services
Services that offer real-time data analytics on things like market metrics, player activity, resource nodes, etc. to make better informed decisions. Example:
Corporation Member Activity: Ability for leaders to view their member’s player activity, contributions, etc.
As Corporations continue to grow and form Alliances, we start to see similar concepts of using protocols within Smart Units to create efficient operational processes expand into much larger scale concepts such as managing entire solar systems or even galaxies. Alliances will likely go beyond the scope of physical structures to managing complex economic and political relations both within and between. Real economies may start to form with their own economic policies. The basic implications and effects of Alliances can be clearly seen in the preceding game, EVE Online, where the largest Alliance comprises over 460 different Corporations and over 34,000 individual members, all working towards a collective goal.
Economic Opportunities as a Service Model
In EVE Frontier, the service model unlocks significant economic potential by transforming traditional gameplay into a dynamic ecosystem where builders generate revenue through innovative service-based solutions. This shift redefines the in-game economy, creating new income streams and sustainable growth paths for stakeholders within Web3 games. Below, we explore key examples of these service-based economic opportunities.
Corporation Banking Service
A Corporation Bank provides a safe, region-based banking service where players can secure loans in currency or resources with collateral. Located within the protection of their territory, this bank ensures both asset security and player accountability through player standing, allowing for reliable financial transactions and loan enforcement. Provided as either a subscription service for a banking protocol to embed within Corporations, or either directly through Sovrun’s management.
Automated Base Management
Offers Corporation leaders a comprehensive dashboard to monitor, control and upgrade diverse Smart Units effectively. As future Corporations will contain a vast array of Smart Units, this system enables efficient oversight and maintenance. Provided as a subscription service.
Smart Voting & Governance
A governance model where Corporations and Alliances make decisions through a smart voting system. Members can vote on strategic actions such as expanding territory, setting trade tariffs, choosing alliances, etc. Provided either as a one-time-purchase or a subscription service.
Mining Operation
An all in one package service to handle an entire mining operation from start to finish, using a variety of Smart Units. A fully automated operation provided as a subscription service.
Strategic Role in EVE Frontier
With an already established relationship with the team at CCP Games and a dedicated focus on building applications within the EVE Frontier universe, Sovrun envisions itself as a key stakeholder and contributor to the game’s economy and playerbase, setting itself apart from extractive approaches often seen amongst major players in Web3 games. EVE Frontier is just a preview of Sovrun’s commitment to creating sustainable, player-driven extensions within Autonomous Worlds. Our goal is to build net-positive, lasting contributions that empower and elevate our communities, transforming passionate gamers into active builders. Through this approach, Sovrun aims to lead the way in the evolving landscape of Autonomous Worlds.
Last updated