Intro
During my visit to Reykjavík in early May for EVE Fanfest 2025, I had the opportunity to interview Attila Szantner, CEO and co-founder of MMOS (Massively Multiplayer Online Science).
Attila leads the team behind several citizen science initiatives integrated into major video games. Most notably, he’s the driving force behind Project Discovery – EVE Online’s in-game scientific minigame that has helped tackle real-world problems ranging from protein structure mapping to virus research.
We first met during the COVID-19 pandemic, when CCP Games partnered with Attila’s team and Italian immunologist Dr. Andrea Cossarizza to integrate flow cytometry data from patients into EVE Online. Within weeks, Project Discovery returned as a mini-game where players identified cellular clusters, helping to train AI systems for immunological analysis. What began as an emergency research initiative quickly evolved into something much bigger: new discoveries, unexpected insights, and years’ worth of data for scientists to explore.
At last year’s Fanfest Attila Szantner, Ryan Brinkman, Jérôme Waldispühl (key figures behind Project Discovery) shared that EVE players had generated enough labeled data to fuel scientific research for decades.
Since that first collaboration, I’ve met with Attila at several events, including Devcom 2024, where he spoke about his ongoing efforts to bridge science and gameplay.
One stop in my Fanfest 2025 adventure — dive into the full story and photo gallery here.
Meanwhile, sit back, and see how real-world scientific problems are being solved through gamified tools, community collaboration, and the persistent belief that play can drive discovery.
Table of Contents
Where Project Discovery Stands Today
So Attila, great to see you again! We last crossed paths at Devcom 2024 during that fantastic roundtable with CCP Burger, it was a blast. Let’s dive in: what’s the current status of Project Discovery? Is there anything new that players should be excited about?
It’s going really well. The most recent update was the launch of the fourth phase of Project Discovery, though to be honest, it’s more like version 3.2. The scientific focus and the minigame interface inside EVE Online remain largely the same. We’re still working in the field of immunology.
Nice! For readers who might not be familiar, could you briefly explain what this game is about and how players actually contribute to the science behind it?
The minigame itself is a clustering game. Players analyze high-dimensional datasets derived from human blood, visualized in a scatterplot format. The goal is to identify distinct cell populations, which is useful across many areas of immunological research.
Originally, when we launched this in 2020, the core objective was tied to the early wave of COVID-19, to help researchers accelerate their understanding. That was actually when we first met, if you remember! But since then, the scope has broadened, and now the current dataset is focused more on cancer research. So, while the interface didn’t change much, the scientific content behind it did.
That’s fascinating! With Project Discovery running for several years now, you’ve probably gathered a lot of valuable insights. Are there any plans to share that knowledge with the world?
The first major publication from this phase is currently under review, it’s pretty much finalized. I’m not exactly sure which stage it’s at, but the article is close to being published. Importantly, the underlying datasets are also prepared to be shared alongside it.
We’ll be releasing the data as open access, not just embedded in a PDF. That’s standard practice for this kind of scientific publication, you’re expected to include the datasets so other researchers can validate the findings or build upon them. The idea is to make the results from Project Discovery available to the broader scientific community, so they can be put to use well beyond the game itself.
Mobile Expansion and the Vision Behind It
And what about the mobile app that was announced during previous Fanfest 2023?
We’re making progress, but I won’t lie—it’s a complex project. And you know how small our team is. We’re moving slower than we’d like, but we are moving. We’ve managed to secure some research grants, which help both with app development and with ensuring a steady flow of scientific datasets from our research partners.
The main reason we’re pushing so hard is because, to be honest, I was a bit naive ten years ago when I started this whole citizen science idea with games. I believed that if I could pull off just one big collaboration with the gaming industry, everyone would immediately see the value and jump on board. I mean, it really is a no-brainer: players benefit, the game gets engaging content, and scientists get valuable data.
Yeah, it really feels like a win-win-win situation. From a reward standpoint, digital in-game items are low-cost for developers but still feel meaningful for players.
Exactly. Most games already offer cosmetics or digital items, and using those as rewards is perfect. Developers don’t need to invest too much financially, players feel recognized and motivated, and the scientific community gets the data they need. Everyone walks away happy—at least in theory.
And we know theories can break apart when they meet reality—did something go wrong?
But despite all that, game developers didn’t jump on it like I originally hoped.
Over the last ten years, I’ve talked to hundreds of developers, given dozens of talks at industry conferences, and without fail, everyone is always incredibly inspired by the concept. The idea that you can contribute to real science by doing what you love, making games, is naturally appealing. It’s a beautiful match.
But here’s the catch: game developers are absolutely swamped. Looking back, it’s practically a miracle that we pulled this off with CCP Games. Most studios don’t have the luxury of setting aside a senior team to work on something outside of core gameplay. Even a small feature like Project Discovery touches narrative, art, tech, community – everything. And when devs are already struggling to ship their main features on time and with quality, they often have to cut things they really care about, let alone something extra like this.
Totally fair. But did you come up with anything to help solve that bottleneck?
That’s why we started thinking about the mobile client. If we could build a solid platform that works independently, but still benefits from our relationships with CCP and Gearbox, then suddenly we could open doors.
On one side, we could approach many other researchers who might never get a direct collaboration with a game studio. Maybe their dataset is too small, or their project doesn’t warrant full integration. With the mobile platform, we can say, “Hey, we’ve got a shared space, plug into this.”
A unified framework for citizen science?
Exactly. That’s the idea. On the flip side, we can revisit all those studios who were genuinely excited, and offer a smaller ask. Instead of integrating a full feature into their game, we could say: just provide some art assets, maybe help sketch out the game concept. We’ll build and operate it, and if you link it into your game’s reward system, that’s all the integration you need.
That’s much more manageable for a lot of teams. Of course, it’s still not easy. This isn’t a Neocom button you click in EVE, it’s a separate mobile app. (Editor’s note: Neocom is EVE Online’s in-game interface panel that gives quick access to core features.) Players need to install seperate app, connect accounts, go through extra steps. But if we do a great job, it could become an incredible tool for science.
You’ll probably need to offer players something really special to go that extra mile.
Yes, absolutely. Something truly unique. Maybe exclusive cosmetics or rewards that aren’t otherwise obtainable. A flaming mount, a rare skin, something players would normally never have access to. These are the kinds of things that make people willing to jump through hoops.
Of course, those decisions, like reward design, will rely heavily on CCP. And I do have to excuse myself a little here. When we spoke at the previous Fanfest, we said we wanted to release this in 2025. That didn’t happen. It’s taking longer than expected, but it’s happening. It will happen.
Community, Collaboration, and the People Behind the Project
Have individuals or researchers ever truly stepped up to support your mission?
Absolutely. Over the years, a lot of people have gone out of their way to offer help, and some of those moments have been genuinely touching. People really try to figure out how they can contribute. The thing is, we’re a one-of-a-kind project. There’s nobody else in the world doing exactly what we’re doing, and while that uniqueness has its advantages, it also makes things harder.
There are no predefined grant programs tailored to something like us. But occasionally we meet people who truly understand the potential here, and how important it is to carve out a space for science in the gaming world. Many researchers see it as a rare and valuable opportunity.
Take Dr. Michel Mayor, for example, he contributed to the Exoplanet project, our second iteration. A year or two later, he earned the Nobel Prize. The fact that someone of his caliber found it important enough to engage with our community and speak directly to EVE players says a lot. He immediately recognized how powerful this platform could be for communicating science.
We’ve seen similar enthusiasm in other collaborations. High-profile researchers get it. And maybe in other fields, keeping a project like this going for ten years wouldn’t be considered such a big deal, but in citizen science? Just staying afloat and advancing over that span is already a huge achievement.
That’s impressive, especially across both the academic and gaming worlds.
Exactly. We’ve had support from many sides. For example, Amazon has been a huge help. Our tech stack runs on AWS, and the Game Tech team in the DACH region loves what we’re doing. They’ve supported us as much as they can, and it’s honestly very moving to see how many people are genuinely inspired by this initiative. That support helps keep us going.
You mentioned slow development, does that mostly come down to funding?
Yes, it’s mostly a funding issue.
Have you ever thought about crowdfunding? Maybe something like a Kickstarter?
We haven’t seriously considered crowdfunding yet. From what I’ve heard, it’s getting more and more difficult, and it’s a massive commitment. Unlike traditional grant funding, where you get the funds and then just go to work for a while, crowdfunding is like community management non-stop.
You have to pitch, manage expectations, keep everyone updated, answer questions, it’s a whole other layer of work. And honestly, for a team as small as ours, it would be overwhelming. It takes a lot of energy that we just don’t have right now.
Sustainable Growth and Monetization Challenges
How do you see the future of the project, and what’s holding it back?
That’s something I think about a lot. I don’t come from the academic world, I have a background in software development and entrepreneurship. So honestly, I’ve never felt comfortable relying solely on grants. It just doesn’t seem sustainable to me.
We’re actively trying to address that. Recently, we received a small grant from Innosuisse to collaborate with researchers at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. The goal is to explore ethical ways to monetize the mobile app. If we’re going to launch it, we need to consider whether it can become financially sustainable.
What kind of monetization would even make sense for a project like this?
That’s the challenge. I really dislike most monetization models in the mobile space. Many of them are exploitative and completely at odds with what we’re doing. That’s why we wanted academic input, to find options that are both ethical and aligned with our mission.
When I started this project, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But I believed that if a small team could generate real scientific value, then we’d eventually figure out how to sustain it. I didn’t know how, and even ten years later, we’re still trying to solve that equation.
Future Ideas and New Frontiers
What if your app also served as a gateway to discover new games? Imagine a user is browsing science tasks in your app, and suddenly a new game pops up offering a unique reward, like an exclusive skin or cosmetic. Naturally, they get curious, install the game, create a character, explore a bit, and maybe they stick around. Your app just helped convert a player into an active user of another title.
Nice! It could be a kind of entry point, letting players discover other games through science tasks. That’s an interesting angle, almost like a marketplace for engagement. Basically what you’re describing, a model where developers gain visibility and players get introduced to new games through meaningful tasks. It’s a win on multiple fronts. Still, the monetization side is complicated. Most mobile models are hard to align with what we do, they often feel exploitative and completely contradict our mission.
But you need to monetize the app somehow, right?
Definitely. With servers, hardware, salaries – it adds up fast. But the biggest cost by far is senior expertise. Hiring experienced developers and designers who can architect, build, and maintain a system like this, that’s where most of the budget goes. Everything else is secondary compared to that.
What if you openly shared your needs, posted a list of challenges and asked for help?
That’s a valid point. We’ve had people reach out and say they’d love to help, especially with coding. And sometimes, I’ve had to politely decline, because managing a project with a fully open-source approach, where we crowdsource development too, that’s a huge challenge on its own.
The problem is project management becomes overwhelming really fast. My preference has always been to work with people I’ve known for years, where we already have a rhythm. It’s just far more efficient.
Maybe someday, when we have sustainable funding, we can figure out how to integrate external contributors. I’m open to it, but we’re not quite there yet.
Are you planning to involve players directly in discussions about monetization?
Yes, that’s actually something we’re working on right now. As part of our Swiss grant project, we want to run a player survey and gather community input on ethical monetization. We’re even planning to conduct player interviews to explore ideas more deeply.
FanFest is a great place for that too, you never know who you’ll bump into.
That wouldn’t surprise me at all. FanFest is this wild convergence of every kind of expertise you can imagine. I’ve had conversations with people who were clearly interested, and I always try to involve them in the discussion. It’s surprising how often these chance conversations turn into something meaningful.
Project Discovery needs better visibility—people should know what it is
Yes, you’re right. I probably should’ve walked around Fanfest in a bright Project Discovery T-shirt. The name alone doesn’t always convey the scale or importance of the work we’re doing. A bit more visibility—through branding, storytelling, even something as simple as merch—could really help make it stick.
Any plans to bring Project Discovery into EVE: Frontier?
Not yet, but we’re keeping an eye on it. Sami (Editor’s note: Sæmundur Hermannsson, CCP Goodfella), who’s leading the Frontier project, has been with CCP since the beginning of Project Discovery, he actually worked on the first one and understands it well.
Usually, when we see a game still in development, we say: focus on making it successful first. Once it’s live and stable, there’s always time to explore integration. That applies to Frontier too. Let them build the foundation first.
Maybe this is the perfect moment to experiment, could you build a standalone Project Discovery-style minigame using the tools EVE: Frontier is offering? Not as an integration, but as a separate service? It seems like that’s exactly what this new generation of open-source MMOs is enabling.
That’s an interesting angle. You’re suggesting using game nodes, those idle activities like staring at a screen or clicking a window, as a basis for integration. Something like a clustering task, running within the game.
We haven’t really thought about that yet. But it makes sense.
Silly tasks in games could actually be science if structured right
Exactly. And that’s why the mobile platform is so important.
When we started the mobile project, we already had a good connection with others in the citizen science community. It’s a small world, people talk. And when we shared our vision, they were excited. Many struggle with engagement and retention. They asked us: how can we help get this out? Can we join later?
So now we’re building a higher-level API to support the mobile platform. It handles authentication, progression tracking, and more, things that the lower-level MMOS APIs (used for PC integration) don’t fully cover. This architecture will make it easier for developers to build their own experiences within the ecosystem, possibly even something like a Project Discovery for Frontier.
First impressions matter, the mobile launch has to be perfect
Exactly. That’s why our current focus is creating a perfect, faithful mobile version of Project Discovery. If that launch flops, the rest of our plans don’t matter. We want EVE players to feel immediately at home, that they’ve got Discovery in their hands.
If we succeed there, the platform can then support many future collaborations, including ideas like a Frontier integration.
From Gameplay to Data That Changes Lives
Meeting Attila is always something special. It’s hard to put into words, his energy, his unwavering belief in the mission, the way he carries his ideas forward with quiet determination. Every time, it strikes a chord. I still remember last Fanfest, when they displayed the names of characters who contributed to the project. Seeing my own pilot’s name among them, that was unforgettable.
I’ve since found the full list of contributors displayed at the previous Fanfest. You can view it here, see if yours is among them. If you do, let me know in the comments. Maybe we’ve both been doing science all along.
Together with CCP Games, Attila and his team have turned Project Discovery, on the surface, just a game about drawing rectangles and triangles, into a tool for real scientific progress. This isn’t just another mini-game. It’s a genuine contribution to science, and there are very few projects in the world like it.
I wish them luck. I can’t wait to get my hands on the published paper and its dataset. Who knows, maybe my data mining skills will come in handy again, not for cracking hidden mechanics, but for uncovering something that truly matters.
The next chapter of Project Discovery targets humanity’s most relentless enemy: cancer. There’s hardly a person on this planet who hasn’t heard of it, or suffered from its reach. And now, the EVE Online community, and soon, anyone with the new mobile app, has a chance to stand on this front too. Not just in virtual space, but in the real fight.
This is my way of supporting that cause. This is how I share a beautiful idea I believe in. Please, share this with your friends, your colleagues. Project Discovery needs your support too.
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