EVE Vanguard Finally Calls Itself an Extraction Shooter
Since its original reveal back in 2023, EVE Vanguard always looked and played like an extraction shooter. But despite the obvious comparisons, developer Fenris Creations — previously known as CCP Games — repeatedly avoided using that label publicly.
Now, during EVE Fanfest 2026, that hesitation appears to be completely gone.
With the announcement of Operation Avalon, the studio openly described EVE Vanguard as an extraction shooter for the first time, something that sparked curiosity among longtime followers of the project.
As it turns out, the reason behind the earlier reluctance was surprisingly simple: fear.
“I Think It Was a Bit of Fear”
During an interview at EVE Fanfest 2026, EVE Vanguard Game Director Scott Davis admitted that the team intentionally avoided the extraction shooter label in the early days of development.
According to Davis:
“I’m going to be honest, I think it was a bit of fear.”
At the time, extraction shooters were heavily associated with games like Escape From Tarkov, which dominated the genre’s identity.
The concern internally was that players would instantly reduce Vanguard to simply being “Tarkov in space,” ignoring the broader ambitions the studio had for the project.
Davis explained that the stigma surrounding extraction shooters during that period made the team hesitant to fully embrace the description publicly.
ARC Raiders Helped Change Perceptions
Interestingly, Davis credits another upcoming extraction shooter, ARC Raiders, for helping change industry perceptions around the genre.
According to him, games like ARC Raiders proved that extraction shooters could offer wildly different experiences instead of being direct clones of Tarkov.
That shift gave Fenris Creations more confidence to openly describe Vanguard as what it fundamentally is right now.
Davis explained:
“We’ve always had extraction in the game.”
But while the extraction loop now sits at the center of the current gameplay experience, the studio insists that this is still only one piece of a much larger vision.
The Bigger Goal Is Still an MMOFPS
Even after embracing the extraction shooter identity, Fenris Creations continues describing EVE Vanguard as an MMOFPS at its core.
According to Davis, that ambition remains the project’s “north star.”
The challenge, however, is that the term MMOFPS itself still lacks a clear industry definition.
Davis even joked:
“I don’t think anyone really knows what an MMOFPS is.”
And honestly, he might not be wrong.
Unlike traditional MMOs or competitive shooters, Vanguard aims to create a persistent large-scale sandbox tied directly into the living universe of EVE Online.
The extraction gameplay loop is currently the clearest and most playable component of that larger ecosystem.
Operation Avalon Will Be a Major Test
The upcoming Operation Avalon event in July will serve as the next major public test for the game.
It marks the first large-scale return for Vanguard since the project went quiet following earlier testing phases in late 2025.
According to Fenris Creations, the new build includes:
- Rebuilt gunplay systems
- Improved environmental assets
- Enhanced character models
- Deeper risk-and-extraction mechanics
- Expanded integration with EVE Online
The long-term plan is for Vanguard’s Warclones and EVE Online’s Capsuleers to influence the same universe together.
That integration begins with the construction of Bastions during Operation Avalon and later expands into EVE Online’s upcoming Military Campaigns systems.
Fenris Wants a “Forever Shooter”
During the EVE Vanguard keynote at Fanfest, Executive Producer Snorri “FC Rattati” Arnason described the game as a “forever shooter.”
The goal is to build an FPS capable of evolving for years in the same way EVE Online has survived and expanded for more than two decades.
That ambition separates Vanguard from many modern live-service shooters that often disappear within only a few years.
Whether the studio can actually achieve that vision remains to be seen, but for the first time since the project’s reveal, the direction behind EVE Vanguard feels considerably clearer.
And perhaps embracing the extraction shooter identity instead of avoiding it was exactly what the project needed.
