CCP Games Returns to Independence in $120M Buyout

(AsiaGameHub) –   CCP Games is departing Pearl Abyss via a management buyout led by CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson. This transaction values the EVE Online studio at $120 million.

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Good to Know

• The buyout package includes $100 million in cash and $20 million in EVE Frontier game tokens.
• Pearl Abyss acquired CCP Games in 2018 for $225 million.
• CCP reported a $19 million annual loss in 2024.

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EVE Studio Splits From Pearl Abyss

CCP Games is returning to independent control after several challenging years under Pearl Abyss. Hilmar Veigar Pétursson led the management buyout, which is expected to close on May 6.

This purchase price is far lower than the $225 million Pearl Abyss paid to acquire CCP in 2018. The new deal includes $100 million in cash and $20 million worth of EVE Frontier game tokens.

This separation follows a tough financial stretch. CCP posted a $19 million loss in 2024, even after Pearl Abyss invested an additional $50 million into the studio. Pearl Abyss is now focusing more on projects such as Crimson Desert, while CCP gets another opportunity to operate on its own.

The studio still has several active development projects. EVE Online remains its main title, while EVE Vanguard is slated for release in Q3 2026. CCP is also developing EVE Frontier, a blockchain-linked project backed by a $40 million investment from groups including a16z and Bitkraft, mostly through token allocations.

Some details remain unconfirmed. CCP has not fully explained the funding source for the buyout, the post-deal budget, or how it will handle the $50 million debt owed to Pearl Abyss.

The timing of the deal has also drawn renewed attention to the EVE community. The transaction is set to close just ahead of EVE Fest, which begins on May 14.