Games company CCP – best known for Eve Online – received the Presidential Export Award at the president’s residence of Bessastaðir yesterday.
CCP director Hilmar Veigar Pétursson received award on the company’s behalf. The award is given in recognition of a significant contribution in Iceland’s export economy and to the domestic economic area.
The reward is certainly fitting, as CCP thrived even during the banking collapse of 2008. As of May 2009, there are a quarter of a million accounts on Eve Online from around the world, with peak hours seeing 40,000 plus people active in the game. It ranks 88% on metacritic.com and won 2009 Game of the Year, awarded by MMORPG.com.
Iceland’s tech industry, while still in its infancy, continues to remain virtually untouched by the economic troubles that plague other industries.