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CCP is set to merge its Dust 514 and Eve Online servers tomorrow in an ambitious move to bring together console and PC players.
Users currently participating in the Dust 514 beta will now become part of the wider Eve Online universe as CCP brings its cross-platform plans to fruition.
Dust 514 is a free-to-play FPS for the PS3, and players of the game can belong to existing corporations in PC space MMO Eve Online. Dust players meanwhile can also recruit pilots from Eve to join them in battle.
For now Dust 514 will remain in closed beta, but it is likely the last time characters will be reset as CCP looks to bring the title into open beta at a later date.
The developer added that it was already working on the next expansion for the titles that would see additions such as player owned districts, tighter economic integration and greater incentives for Eve players to get involved in its counterpart game.
“This is a massive technical and game design endeavour and so the overlap in gameplay is intentionally contained for now. It is of course very important that we do not upset the serious business of internet spaceships,” said CCP Nullabor in a blog post.
“In particular the economic balance between a 10-year-old space simulation and a brand new free to play MMOFPS is an obvious concern. So, for this first release, any ISK transfer between EVE and Dust characters will be blocked.
"This will then be replaced by a taxable transfer mechanism with the intention of easing the currency control to 0% and removing it entirely once we are happy the economies have reached an equilibrium.”
