Dust 514 is a free-to-play FPS extension of the EVE universe, bringing Battlefield-style team multiplayer to New Eden. The problem is, you can only play it on PlayStation 3. That is, until Project Legion is released. This is a new shooter by CCP that will appear on PC. Rather than simply port Dust over—although the games do share some features—they're creating something new.
Like EVE, community is at the forefront, and a hub is designed with joining and communication with other players in mind. Here you'll access a star map and locate a battle, and then jump into a clone soldier to enter the fight from the other side of the universe. Loading is masked by a trip through a swirling tunnel of stars, which is very 2001: A Space Odyssey, before being spat out onto the map.
The developers want the alien environments to impact player tactics—although they're tight-lipped about exactly how at the moment. The map I saw in my demo, which is being played live on the stage, on PC, by the developers, is a volcanic world with glowing lava fields and an impressive volcano in the distance belching out ash and smoke.
The demo was pretty sparse. Although there were a group of developers on the stage, they never really interacted with each other. You can tell Legion is very early in development, and this was a brief taster more than anything else. I didn't get a feel for the combat, or how the team mechanics will work, but it looks pretty enough. It has that stylish, understated EVE art design, and some nice lighting.
CCP have talked about making the EVE universe more accessible, and you don't get much more accessible than an online FPS. Being a Sony exclusive stifled Dust, but this reimagining will get the audience it deserves on PC. Without seeing any meaningful in-game footage I can't be sure of the direction they're taking, but the multiplayer team shooter is difficult thing to get right. If CCP can pull it off, this could become a compelling gateaway drug to EVE Online.
