We continue my Icelandic EVE Fanfest Saga with the fourth part, where I recount the culmination of the two-day festival. In case you missed the previous parts, you can start with Part 1 – Arrival in Iceland.
Table of Contents
Interviews of the Final Day
September 23, 2023, the second day of EVE Fanfest 2023, dawned. This morning, like the ones before, began with exercise, a hearty breakfast, and arrival at 9 AM at Laugardalshöll, the venue.
This day promised to be long and eventful. I had another four interviews scheduled: one with CCP Burger to discuss the upcoming EVE Online expansion, another with CCP Principal, the lead game designer of EVE Vanguard, and two with community celebrities—The Oz, the wealthiest player in EVE Online, and Max Singularity, also known as the Space Pope, accompanied by his lively delegation.
While I was busy playing the role of an interrogator, extracting every small detail and secret from my interviewees, intriguing events were unfolding on various stages, often making it difficult to decide which one to attend. Fortunately, the main stage was under the watchful eye of Twitch stream operators, meaning there would be an opportunity to watch the recordings later. Between interviews, I seized a moment to attend a presentation by CCP Games’ composers and sound engineers.
The Symphony of New Eden
It all began with an interview where Erik Nielsen, a senior audio programmer, took on the role of host. He was joined on stage by sound designers Kristian Ross and Baldur Jóhann Baldursson, the audio director. They discussed how compositions are created, delving into the intricacies of their professions. Later, Jón Hallur Haraldsson, the composer who gifted EVE approximately 90% of all its original sounds, including stunning soundtracks, joined them.
My delight knew no bounds, as Jón Hallur’s compositions have been with me for 20 years. Long ago, I recorded them onto my phone, and they have traveled with me ever since. I love listening to them during flights; they act as meditation for me. Familiar sounds and rhythms bring back memories of past events, rich with emotional context.
Jón didn’t come empty-handed; he brought the synthesizer on which all the effects and soundtracks were created. The instrument’s memory banks still held the samples, even though it hasn’t been used in a long time, and Jón no longer works at CCP Games. The touch of his fingers to the instrument brought to life such familiar sounds that it was hard for me to hold back emotions. Judging by the approving yet respectful murmur in the hall, I was far from the only one deeply moved by these sounds.
Afterward, the three current composers and designers of the company performed a composition live. Not everyone loves this genre of music, but as they mentioned in the interview, game music has specific goals; it accompanies in-game events, adding content and depth. Listening to it without context can be challenging. In any case, here’s a record of this panel:
The Silent Auction’s Finale
Leaving the hall, I headed to the silent auction I wrote about in the third part of this Saga. It was just about to end, and I was eager to see the happy winners. The last 10 minutes were quite heated; for some items, people continued to bid until the last second. Interestingly, one of the participants was familiar to me — financial mogul The Oz was bidding on a knitted cap 🙂
The Closing Ceremony
At 4 PM, all guests gathered in the main hall for the closing ceremony. CCP Convict took the stage and succinctly, with photos as illustrations, summarized the two-day festival. Key moments and announcements were showcased, and thanks were expressed.
Then, a group of people who have been volunteering at EVE Online festivals for 10 years took the stage. They help organizers make the event better and organize various activities aimed at raising funds for charity. This year, they managed to raise $40,710, which will be donated to a children’s hospital.
They also raffled off the grand prize of the lottery — a huge set of various EVE Online merchandise, as well as one of the plates removed from the EVE Monument during its upgrade. The winner was a pilot with the nickname cpu939, who was sitting next to me — he had bought as many as 110 tickets!
For him, the win was not as important as the fact of donating money to the hospital’s needs, as, sitting in a wheelchair, he understood the importance of financial support for medical institutions better than anyone. This story was also associated with a small incident. The lottery tickets were color-coded for easy winner identification, but firstly, the man had 110 of them, and secondly, he turned out to be colorblind and couldn’t tell if his ticket had won. People from the hall rushed over and helped him find the coveted ticket.
Finally, at the end of the ceremony, the CEO and founder of the company, Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, took the stage. He expressed gratitude to all EVE Online players. He concluded his speech with a battle cry, like a true Viking, shouting, “EVE — forever!”.
The Party at the Top of the World
A few hours later, on the same day, the huge hall with the stage transformed into a dance floor, and the “Party at the Top of the World” began.
In front of the stage was a platform for those who wanted to dance, and in several places, tables and poufs were set up for relaxation. For the first time, the band Crowd Kon7rol, consisting of company employees, made their debut on stage. They not only played their songs but also performed hits from their predecessors, Permaband, such as “Warp to the Dance Floor” and “Wrecking Machine.”
Then, Icelandic singer Dadi Freyr Pétursson took the stage and put on an incredible show. The audience was thrilled with his performance. People drank, danced, and celebrated with all their hearts. I returned to the hotel deep into the night.
The festival was over, but my adventures were not! More details will follow in the final part of the Saga. And don’t forget to check out the photo gallery below!
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