Fenris Creations Releases Carbon Engine to the Public: The "Why" Behind the Move

In 2024, the studio then known as CCP Games announced their intention to open-source the Carbon engine. Fast forward to July 1, 2026, and the technical foundation of the enduring sci-fi MMO Eve Online is now officially hosted on GitHub for public access.

While the project has been a "slow burn" for the core technology team, the final push to make the code public occurred over the last 12 weeks. Ben Hunter, the Senior Development Director for Core Technology at Fenris Creations, shared the motivations behind this strategic shift with GamesIndustry.biz.

The Philosophy of Openness

For Fenris, this isn't just about code; it's about community. Hunter notes that the company has a legacy of engagement, dating back to the early days when they first exposed their API.

"We wanted to get the code out there for inspectability and building trust with the community," Hunter explains.

The team eventually realized that their specific implementation—their "secret sauce"—wasn't as unique as they once thought. They concluded that both the developers and the players would benefit from a transparent system.

Current Community Traction

It is still early, but the community is already reacting:

• Pull Requests (PRs): Users are already submitting security patches.
• Ecosystem Expansion: There is interest in using Carbon to build tools within the Eve universe.
• New Projects: Discussions are underway regarding a dedicated web application for viewing Eve Online content.

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Licensing and Accessibility

Carbon is distributed across several modules. To ensure the engine remains free and accessible for both hobbyists and commercial entities, Fenris utilized permissive licenses.

Because of these licenses, developers can essentially "fork" the engine to create their own customized versions, mirroring the evolution of Linux distributions.

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Managing the Transition

Open-sourcing a massive codebase creates a new operational burden. The core tech team must now act as maintainers, reviewing external contributions.

To prepare for this, Fenris spent years augmenting their staff to ensure they had the bandwidth to handle these mechanics. They have now integrated PR reviews directly into their sprint cycles.

Addressing Security Risks

Opening the "hood" of a 23-year-old engine naturally invites scrutiny from bad actors. Hunter acknowledges that security is a primary concern, but argues that it serves as a catalyst for better architecture.

• The Reality: If a vulnerability exists, it exists regardless of whether the code is public.
• The Benefit: Third-party experts can help identify and close gaps faster.
• The History: Having survived over two decades of "battle-hardening" against those trying to disrupt massive fleet battles, the networking layer is incredibly robust.

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The Challenge of "Carving" the Engine

One of the most difficult aspects of this project was separating the engine from the game. Eve Online possesses a legendary economy with an estimated annual trading volume of:

$\text{Trading Volume} \approx \$50,000,000+$

To protect the integrity of the game and its economy, Fenris had to be surgical about what was released.

The "Open Source" Checklist:

• Identify core engine functionality.
• Strip out two decades of game-specific "growth."
• Remove or rebuild proprietary middleware.
• Excise licenses that were not compatible with open-source distribution.

Looking Forward

The move is ultimately a bet on collective improvement. As Hunter puts it, if the community improves the code, everyone wins. Interestingly, the team also received some assistance and "weighting" from the Godot community to help facilitate the transition...

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Related Personnel & Assets:

• Author: Alex Forbes-Calvin
• Key Figure: Ben Hunter (Senior Dev Director)
• Images: Provided by Fenris Creations.

Ben Hunter, Senior Development Director for Core Technology