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 Introducing the EVE Frontier Economic Policy

"Reset, Refine, Rebuild"

Hi Everyone, 
 
 
It's time to talk about the economy, a subject I know many are keen to learn more about. 
 
 
To start off, we want to make sure that our game has a player-driven and sustainable economy: while EVE Online has led the way for over two decades, we want to go further in how EVE Frontier’s economy operates and is structured. Critically, it will be open, allowing players to create their own markets, means of value and more, combined with a real-world link to exchanging that value. To achieve this, we have created the Frontier Economic Policy.

Effectively a series of rules that will determine how our economy functions, it will encompass a series of findings, refinements, and implementations from applying real-world economic theory and modelling to the Frontier, built upon the work seen in EVE Online from Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson (whose work was a huge step forward for virtual economies at the time, with his PhD in Economics). Thus, as the first update (Update I) starts today, it is the perfect time to announce that we have hired Stefán Þórarinsson, former economist at the Central Bank of Iceland, as Head of Economy (and now CCP Kalirha). With CCP Kalirha, we will build a sandbox economy rooted by a rigorous approach through academic and institutional expertise.

As we build the virtual world of EVE Frontier, establishing a robust economic framework is essential. We want to ensure that currency loops, market activity, and pricing behaviors align with Frontier’s design principles, providing a fair and dynamic economic environment for everyone. The balance between currency generation (faucets), expenditure (sinks), and resource distribution shapes inflation, relative pricing, and ultimately (most importantly), the overall player experience.

While we have a vision for the Frontier economy, we don’t know exactly how things will unfold—and we don’t intend to steer the market, dictate trade volume, or impose artificial constraints. This is a player-driven world, and the economy will ultimately be shaped by your actions. However, understanding the impact of our own economic policies is crucial. To refine and improve the system, we need a semi-controlled environment to analyze cause and effect—for example, measuring how a percentage change in feral data prices influences the overall price level. This becomes especially important as we transition from a closed economy to a fully open one, where player-driven trade and value creation take center stage. 

The beautiful challenge of maintaining economic stability therefore comes from our own ambition to create an open, player-driven, PVP sandbox economy, with the inhabitants of the Frontier playing an integral role. At the heart of this economic framework is our utility token, the EVE Token ($EVE). If designed and introduced correctly to the world, $EVE will fuel trade, warfare and death on the Frontier for decades to come.  

Along with this update comes the beginning of what we call Cycles. The galaxy will end in divine rapture - and be reborn! For veterans and new players alike, this is the perfect moment to carve out your influence in space. Take to the stars and build your bases: everything is up for grabs once again. 

Update I to the Frontier Economic Policy (starting 6 March) will focus on:

As mentioned before, this update will include a full game-wide reset. Here’s what that means:

What We Hope to Learn:
 
 
In creating the Economic Policy, we were driven by multiple hypotheses in how the economy should function. Specifically, we aim to:

By gathering data on these factors, we can make informed adjustments that will improve the overall stability and fairness of the in-game economy, for the long-term benefit of EVE Frontier.

What's Next
 
 
This is just the beginning of a long-term effort to build the most advanced and resilient virtual economy ever made. With $EVE as its cornerstone, the economy of EVE Frontier will continue to evolve through research, player engagement, and iterative development. The findings from this update will harden our economic policy as it grows increasingly complex in the future, introducing more sophisticated market mechanics and ensuring a thriving player-driven financial system for years to come. 
 
 
As Founders have seen, your participation and feedback are crucial in shaping this world. We want this to be truly collaborative for every player and every voice. Engage with the economy, test its limits, and help us build the future. Stay tuned for more updates and as always, thank you for being part of the journey so far. 
 
 
CCP Goodfella, Game Director

"Reset, Refine, Rebuild"

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