The game engine powering the long running science fiction massively multiplayer online game Eve Online is now publicly available. Fenris Creations, the developer formerly known as CCP Games, has published the Carbon engine on GitHub. The move makes the underlying technology accessible to any developer or studio for use and modification.
Fenris Creations first announced its intention to open source Carbon in 2024. The company stated at the time that it planned to release the engine as a free development platform. That plan has now come to fruition with the code being made available under an open source license.
Carbon is the proprietary engine developed by Fenris Creations for Eve Online. It handles the game’s server side simulation, client side rendering, and network infrastructure. The engine has been in continuous development since the game’s launch in 2003 and has undergone numerous upgrades to support an expanding player base and persistent world.
The release of the source code allows external developers to inspect, modify, and build new projects on top of the existing technology. Fenris Creations has stated that the decision was driven by a desire to support the broader game development community. The company has also indicated that it hopes the move will foster innovation and collaboration around the engine.
Industry observers note that releasing a mature engine as open source is unusual in the gaming sector. Most major game engines are either proprietary or available under commercial licensing terms. However, some studios have previously released older versions of their engines after switching to newer technology. Fenris Creations has not indicated any plans to replace Carbon with a different engine for Eve Online.
The code is now hosted on GitHub, a platform widely used for open source software development and version control. The repository includes documentation and build instructions. Developers interested in using the engine will need to comply with the terms of the open source license selected by Fenris Creations.
Fenris Creations rebranded from CCP Games in 2024. The company cited strategic and operational reasons for the name change. The studio continues to operate Eve Online, which remains one of the longest running subscription based MMOs in the industry. The game maintains an active player community and regularly receives content updates and expansions.
The open sourcing of Carbon may have implications for academic research and game development education. Students and researchers now have access to a production grade game engine that has been deployed in a commercial setting for over two decades. This could provide valuable real world case studies in engine architecture, server scalability, and network programming.
However, potential users should be aware that Carbon was designed specifically for Eve Online. Adapting the engine for other types of games may require significant modifications. The engine’s architecture is optimized for handling massive numbers of concurrent players in a single shared universe, a design choice that may not be ideal for smaller or single player projects.
Fenris Creations has not announced any specific roadmap for future development of the open source Carbon project. The company has stated that it will continue to use the engine internally for Eve Online. External contributions to the repository are subject to review and approval by Fenris Creations maintainers.
The release of the source code does not affect the ongoing operation of Eve Online. The game will continue to run on the same engine version used by the development team. Players should not expect any immediate changes to gameplay or performance as a result of the open source release.
Developers and studios interested in using Carbon can access the repository through the Fenris Creations GitHub organization page. The company has also provided a contact point for questions and licensing inquiries. No official timeline has been given for potential community driven forks or derivative projects.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
