• The creators of EVE Online have worked with Microsoft to develop an add-in for Excel.
• Players will be able to access a range of data points from within Excel offering them the ability to hone their operations in the game.
• A subscription to Microsoft 365 or a perpetual license for Office is required of course.

When somebody mentions EVE Online one of two thoughts are likely to run through their head. The first will potentially be about the massive wars waged in the game and the second is likely the player’s use of Microsoft Excel.

Microsoft’s spreadsheet software is used by players to analyse a number of data points in the game. Now, developer CCP Games has announced that there is an official Microsoft Excel add-in for EVE Online.

“You can now quickly and efficiently arm yourself with the information and knowledge to reach your goals and aspirations. Easy access to in-game data facilitates decision making and brings added fairness and accessibility to everyone, without requiring coding knowledge or dependence on player-developed third-party tools,” the developer wrote in a blog post.

The add-in was developed with the Excel team as well as folks at CCP. The tool gives players access to a range of data to analyse across their accounts and characters. No programming knowledge is required but knowing your way around Excel and its functionality is surely going to help here.

CCP has created a support page specifically for the add-in here that guides players through set-up and some functionality available. Players will of course need Microsoft 365 or a perpetual version of Office 2016 or later. Office on Mac and the Web is also able to use the add-in but custom functions aren’t available for Office on iPad or Volume-licensed perpetual versions of Office 2019 or earlier.

The developer has also made a sample Workbook available here.

“CCP Games has extensive experience in the MMO space, so it’s only natural that we collaborate with them to launch the first-ever native Microsoft Excel add-in for a video game,” head of product for Excel at Microsoft, Catherine Pidgeon, said in a statement.

“With the add-in, the EVE Online player base can seamlessly export and manage data without third-party tools. Through this collaboration, we’re excited to see how players of EVE Online of all skill levels can use Excel to streamline data management and take their in-game experience to new heights,” Pidgeon added.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Excel being “gamified” for want of a better word. Last year we covered the Financial Modeling World Cup’s Excel Esports: ALL-STAR BATTLE in which the world’s Excel superstars competed for glory and a cash prize.

We do wonder just how much overlap there would be between Excel Esports and the EVE Online community. Perhaps with this new add-in we’ll see those two circles crossover in future.