It’s about that time of the year again!
EVE Fanfest 2017 is just a couple of weeks away, and pretty soon capsuleers will start to arrive in Reykjavík from across the globe for three days filled with spaceship related presentations, roundtables, events, parties and drinking excursions.
Over here at CCP Iceland, we’ve been working for a few months now to bring Fanfest attendees and stream viewers alike the annual action packed celebration of all things New Eden.
Whether your interests lie in alliance warfare, industry, PvE, piracy, building your own empire or taking a massive dump on someone else’s plans for galactic domination, we’ve got content here for you at Fanfest this year. This is an event that you don't want to miss, so you should be sure to either grab your tickets now, or make sure you tune into the stream for all the latest information and announcements during the event.
This year we've decided to condense all the regular Fanfest blogs into one colossal release of stuff happening at Fanfest so that information, timing and details are easy to find all in one place!
So, with that said, let’s get down to the details of what attendees can expect at Fanfest 2017 and the days leading up to it.
Registration
On arrival in Iceland, attendees can choose to either pre-register in the days before Fanfest and collect their pass in advance, or pick up their pass on the first day of Fanfest at the venue itself.
Please be aware that if you have qualified for a free Fanfest 2017 pass as community contributor or a member of the EVE media, you will need to collect your pass at Harpa on 2017/04/06.
Here are the times you’ll be able to pick up your Fanfest pass and with the power of Microsoft Paint, we've also included a handy map!
- 2017/04/03 – 14:00 – 17:00 – CenterHotel Plaza
- 2017/04/04 – 14:00 – 17:00 – CenterHotel Plaza
- 2017/04/05 – 12:00 – 17:00 – Harpa
- 2017/04/06 – 10:00 – 17:00 – Harpa
Please bear in mind that the first day of Fanfest can get pretty busy in terms of registration, so be sure to pick up your pass early, if you can!
The Fanfest 2017 Schedule
This year, we're pushing out the schedule a little bit earlier in digital form, so you can download it right now by grabbing the Guidebook app for your mobile device, which is available for both Android and iOS. Simply enter the redemption code "EVEFANFEST2017" and you'll be able to download the schedule directly via the app, and plan the sessions you'd like to attend.
For those of you travelling from outside the EU, fear not – Harpa will be equipped with free Wi-Fi for all Fanfest 2017 attendees, so you’ll be able to access Guidebook at the venue even if your roaming data services don’t work in Iceland.
If you'd rather look at the schedule in web form, you can do so here.
We'll also have pretty versions of the schedule available in the run-up to Fanfest and at the venue, that will displayed on screens outside each of the rooms to give more clarification on the location of each session.
The Keynotes!
Following on from the success of having the main keynote presentations on day one of Fanfest for the last couple of years, we'll follow the same scheduling practice this year and keep the major information at the start of Fanfest so that there's the rest of the event to talk about what's been announced, what's coming, and get into the details of the future of New Eden.
Here's a little taste of what's in store:
2017/04/06 – THURSDAY – 17:00 UTC – Opening Ceremony
Kicking off a little later this year, Fanfest attendees will be joining CCP Guard and a selection of guest hosts including CCP Hellmar, the CEO of CCP as we take a look at what's been going on in the world of New Eden since last Fanfest, and learn a little about what CCP has been up to in the last year.
2017/04/06 – THURSDAY – 18:00 UTC – EVE Online Keynote
After the opening ceremony, we'll be joining CCP Seagull, Executive Producer for EVE Online, for a look at the year in review since last Fanfest, as well as where New Eden is headed in future. With guest speakers including CCP Nagual, CCP t0rfifrans, CCP Ghost, CCP Larrikin and a whole host of others, there'll be new information on what's coming in 2017, plus some details on things a little further down the road.
2017/04/08 – SATURDAY – 17:00 UTC – Closing Ceremony
The saddest part of every Fanfest is when we have to say goodbye. We'll be looking back over three days of New Eden centric madness, as well as talking about events coming up in 2017 that will lead up to EVE Vegas 2017. We'll also be making the announcement of the dates for this year's EVE Vegas, and Fanfest 2018, so have your calendar ready to note down the dates!
Presentations & Roundtables
Fanfest 2017 will once again offer an extensive program of developer, player and third party presentations to make sure that there's always content during the event, regardless of your interests and aspirations in New Eden.
From the regular presentations, such as the Game Design Panel and Balance Presentation, to updates on art and GFX, as well as roundtables on ISD, Nullsec & Sovereignty, Structure, Tech Art, IP Development, Lore and even Fanfest itself, we've got content for everyone who's interested in EVE Online.
All the major sessions occurring during Fanfest 2017 also have their own dedicated roundtable hosted at some point after the initial presentation so that capsuleers can discuss content and ask questions about what's been presented on stage directly to the developers involved in making these features and changes happen.
As has become customary over the course of the last few years, Fanfest 2017 will also play host to a massive number of player presentations this year, with content from Makoto Priano, ExookiZ, Angelica Evermore, Nashh Kadavr, baltec1, General Stargazer and Max Singularity that range from PvP fitting, to theoretical physics and how to make trillions from the in economy of New Eden.
Be sure to check the schedule thoroughly, as there's a broad range of content coming to Fanfest this year!
Project Discovery
At Fanfest 2017, we're incredibly honored to be joined by Professor Michel Mayor, exoplanet expert and winner of the prestigious 2017 Wolf Prize for Physics.
Professor Mayor will be on site at Fanfest 2017 for a presentation and roundtable on the next stage of Project Discovery, which will see the search for exoplanets come to New Eden in 2017. There'll be more information on how capsuleers will begin classifying materials that will be sent back to the University of Geneva for use in refining and furthering the search.
Professor Mayor will be joined by CCP Burger and a selection of other CCP developers for a presentation and roundtable on all things exoplanets and Project Discovery. Be sure not to miss it!
The Fanfest Tournament
This year we'll be hosting a short, fast and furious tournament on day one of Fanfest (Thursday) in the PvP room, that will give attendees the chance to win PLEX and swag from our sponsors which include Razer and Nvidia.
The tournament will take the form of a 2v2 single elimination, with the specifics of the rules announced on the day for those competing, just to add a little spice to the mix!
You can sign up to take part in the tournament and be in with the chance to win awesome prizes from Razer and Nvidia by adding your details to this signup sheet.
From there, you'll need to be on site at Harpa during the tournament hours of 12:30 – 16:30 UTC on Thursday April 6th in order to take part.
You'll also need to be registered and in possession of your Fanfest 2017 access pass in order to take part, so be sure to have collected it before the tournament kicks off!
Immersive Event – The YC119 Kyonoke Inquest
All is not right in New Eden, as a number of quarantine zones have been established across the cluster in the wake of an outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly Kyonoke Plague. For Fanfest 2017, we've partnered with an Emmy award winning organization – The Company P – who are working with us to produce an immersive experience like no other at this year's Fanfest.
Harpa will be transformed into the H4-RP4 Kyonoke Inquest Center, a Keepstar class citadel located in the Federal system of Postouvin which has been constructed by the Society of Conscious Thought close to one of the quarantine zones, in order to research the situation.
There will be five sets constructed at various locations around the venue, staffed by a myriad of inhabitants of the Keepstar. Participants in the event will have the opportunity to work with them or against them in order to earn vote tokens, which can be used to push through resolutions to the crisis. These sets will be environments that represent the four empires and the Society of Conscious Thought, with individuals from the relevant Inquest delegations at each of the sites.
The setting is an inquest taking place into the cause and potential resolutions of the Kyonoke outbreak. The results of this inquest will be determined by both attendees at Fanfest and those collaborating with them from within EVE Online during the event.
The fates of trillions lie in the hands of capsuleers. Whether a peaceful and humane, or destructive but effective resolution is brought to the table will ultimately be decided by the Fanfest attendees involved.
Choose your actions wisely, as the consequences could be further reaching than you might imagine.
There'll be more information on the immersive event itself in a dedicated Devblog next week, so stay tuned for more in depth information on how you can get involved and take part in the Inquest.
You can also join the open facebook group to find out a little more about the event and keep up to date with progress toward Fanfest!
The Fanfest Beer Uncasking
(click to enlarge)
Given that we're celebrating the 13th iteration of Fanfest this year and the 20th anniversary of CCP, the festivities would not be complete without delicious Fanfest beer.
This year we've got four new brews for you guys to enjoy, and we'll be unveiling them in downtown Reykjavík before Fanfest 2017 kicks off. A delicious ale, light and dark lagers, plus a traditional Matari stout will be on tap at a selection of bars down town for your refreshment.
The uncasking of the beer and first tasting will happen at Prikið, in downtown Reykjavik at 16:00 UTC on Monday April 3rd, where a selection of devs will be on hand to raise a glass to the kickoff of Fanfest week here in Iceland!
For those who need directions, here's another handy map that gives the location of Prikið.
We're looking forward to seeing many of you there!
The Alliance Debate
Last year marked the return of the Alliance Panel to Fanfest. The room was packed and while some of the presentations ran long, it was a general success!
This year we want to switch up the format and make it a bit more interactive amongst the representatives. Our new style will seize on the “entertainment value” of high-profile political debates and town halls. What could possibly go wrong?
After a brief introduction/opening remark by each panelist, moderators will switch to EVE topics, giving each panelist an opportunity to answer and leaving room for some back and forth. Some topics/questions will be sent out beforehand and some will not. Meta-questions and nuts and bolts questions.
We’re looking for Alliance representatives to join us for this experiment (preferably Alliance leaders), which should provide some good spacelulz for all involved.
If you think you’ve got what it takes and you are headed to EVE Fanfest, hit up share@eveonline.com with your Character Name, Alliance Name, and contact information (RL name, email). No major preparation will be needed beforehand, just a willingness to speak your mind about your EVE.
The Fanfest Pub Crawl!
The legendary Fanfest Pub Crawl is in its twelfth iteration this year!
Join a host of CCPers and Icelandic guides as we take groups of players on a Friday night tour of the hottest bars in Iceland, starting with beers at Harpa, before taking a short walk downtown for a night of drinks and conversation about all things New Eden.
All Pubcrawl attendees will receive beer tokens to use at the bars, a custom Fanfest Pub Crawl shot glass and Icelandic beer and Brennivín to start out with at Harpa. In addition, many of the bars we'll be visiting will be serving the delicious Fanfest beers!
We'll be headed out from Harpa at 20:30 UTC on 2017/04/07 for an epic journey around downtown Reykjavik, before the entire pub crawl fleets up at the final destination to gather for a toast of epic proportions!
There's a few tickets still on sale for the Pub crawl, so be sure to grab yours soon before they're gone!
The EVE Fanfest Charity Evening
Hosted at Harpa, all proceeds from the Fanfest Charity Evening are donated to Barnaspítali Hringsins – The Iceland Children’s Hospital, who specialize in providing long term care for children who require treatment for a variety of health issues including cancer and diabetes as well as cardiovascular and neurological issues.
Beginning at 20:00 UTC on the ground floor of Harpa, on the first day of Fanfest (April 6th, 2017), the charity evening is a chance to enjoy dinner and drinks with CCP staff, all for a good cause.
We've already released the list of CCP developers that will be in atttendance and tickets are selling fast. There may only be a couple left on the day for people to buy at Harpa, so be sure to get your tickets soon from the Fanfest Website in order to avoid missing out.
The Fanfest Store
With every Fanfest, comes awesome EVE swag for you to peruse and take home with you as a memento of your trip.
This year our partners at DPI will once again be bringing the EVE Store to Fanfest with a kickass selection of EVE goodies on sale throughout Fanfest.
Be sure to come take a look and pick up your gear as soon as early as you can. The Fanfest Store is well known for selling out toward the end of the event each year!
The store will be open during the following hours, on site at the Fanfest venue
- 2017/04/06 – 12:00 – 19:30
- 2017/04/07 – 11:00 – 18:00
- 2017/04/08 – 11:00 – 18:00
The Sisters of EVE Tour
Once again, the spouses of Fanfest attendees who come along for the ride will be able to take a trop out to see the natural wonders of Iceland during the Friday of Fanfest (April 7th).
A staple part of the Fanfest lineup, the Sisters of EVE tour shows off some of the most stunning wonders of Iceland, including the Ölkelda Mineral Spring and Vatnshellir Lava Cave, before the trip winds its way to the Gerðuberg cliffs, where the journey will stop for a while so that guests can enjoy some traditional Icelandic food and drink.
The tour includes a private bus and guide throughout the da y for the group, an SOE water bottle, lunch at the Primus Kaffi, a guided tour of the Vatnshellir Lava Cave with all the necessary equipmpent, and a taste of Iceland at Gerðuberg.
The schedule for this trip is as follows on Friday April 7th (Day two of Fanfest 2017):
- 09:00 – Departure from Harpa
- 10:30 – Ölkelda mineral spring
- 11:00 – Departure to lunch
- 11:30 – Lunch at Prímus Kaffi
- 12:30 – Vatnshellir Lava Cave
- 14:00 – Arnarstapi walk with a guide.
- 15:15 – Departure to Gerðuberg
- 16:15 – Gerðuberg views and a taste of Iceland
- 16:45 – Departure to Harpa
- 18:30 – Return to Harpa
A few tickets are still available for the Sisters of EVE Tour if you're still thinking of sending that special someone for a real taste of Iceland!
The Fanfest Silent Auction
During Fanfest 2017, CCP is once again incredibly proud to support Barnaspítali Hringsins with fundraising, which is the Icelandic Children’s Hospital specializing in providing long term care for children who require treatment for a variety of health issues including cancer and diabetes as well as cardiovascular and neurological issues.
All proceeds from both the Charity Evening and the Fanfest Silent auction will go to the Icelandic Children's Hospital, and will be added to the EVE Community's fun for equipment and care.
This year there'll be a selection of concept and chronicle artwork, plus a few unique items in the Silent Auction for players to bid on, as well as three Server blades from Tranquility which powered EVE through the following expansions:
- Revelations
- Revelations II
- Trinity
- Empyrean Age
- Quantum Rise
- Apocrypha
Bidding on the Fanfest Silent Auction will start at 13:00 UTC on day one of Fanfest (2017/04/06) and will close at 14:30 UTC sharp on the final day (2017/04/08).
Payments will be able to be made via cash or card (VISA/MAESTRO/ELECTRON – no AMEX) for lots that are won, and the hour for payments will be 16:00 – 17:00 UTC on the final day of Fanfest (2017/04/08).
EVE: Valkyrie Demos
Throughout day 2 and 3 of Fanfest, we'll be hosting demos of EVE Valkyrie on PS4 Pro, using PSVR. These demos will be held on our own custom built EVE Valkyrie pods in the PvP room, where players will be able to test their mettle against some of the best fighter pilots in New Eden.
Come along to the PvP room for a tastes of EVE:Valkyrie on PSVR!
Party On Top Of The World
One word. Epic.
Join us on Saturday night from 20:00 as we turn up the heat in the world's most northern capital city.
We'll have a live performance by CCP's own in house band, Permaband, as well as a set from Hermigervill.
We'll also be joined by Kristian Nairn, known across the globe as Hodor from Game of Thrones, who'll be blowing the doors off of Fanfest 2017 instead of trying to keep them closed, with an amazing set that celebrates the conclusion of Fanfest 2017.
Soon™
Less than two weeks to go, and we're counting down the days!
CCP are going to be here once again to welcome every one of you to Reykjavík for an epic week of updates, partying and spaceship shenanigans.
As with many of you, Fanfest is the highlight of the EVE calendar for us every year, giving us the chance to showcase everything that’s going on, and coming up in New Eden. Don’t hesitate to engage with developers and partners at Fanfest, discuss everything and anything, get your feedback heard and just hang out with our amazing community.
At EVE Fanfest, CCP are here for you just as much as you’re here for Fanfest, and we’re looking forward to seeing familiar faces and new ones alike.
For those of you at home, strap yourselves in and tune into o7 – Fanfest Live, where we’ll be bringing the excitement and fun of Fanfest directly into your homes through the power of the intertubes, with giveaways, contests and more stream content than we’ve ever broadcast at Fanfest.
There'll be more information on the Fanfest stream coming next week, which will of course be broadcast completely free, live and in HD across the entire web-o-nets.
For those of you who can't make it, be sure to tune in. For those coming out to the most epic EVE Online party in existence, we’ll see you soon!
On behalf of the Fanfest Team