How do you graft an MMOFPS game on console into an established decade old MMO spaceship game on PC? The answer is ‘very carefully’. No one knows this better than CCP who has been working tirelessly to bring both these game types together into a single shard universe.

It’s not just a matter of throwing the two games at each other haphazardly though, it had to be done in stages, paying close attention to the balance of the games individually and as one entity. DUST 514 has been charging closer and closer towards the server that houses CCP’s extremely successful EVE Online and this precision collision is now upon us.

Tomorrow, DUST 514 will be offline for an extended period of time. In a recent EVE Online blog, CCP outlined the reason: “On Thursday the 10th of January, following a slightly longer than usual scheduled downtime, we will be migrating over players currently participating in the DUST 514 closed beta from Singularity to Tranquillity. This is a particularly special day here at CCP as this brings to life an ambitious and incredibly exciting vision of a single cross platform universe, the likes of which have never been undertaken before.”

The marriage of console and PC gamers is not exactly uncharted territory, games like Final Fantasy XI and the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV have them playing together. However, the mutual assimilation of two different game genres across two different platforms has never taken place. Not only is it a wonder of technology, programming and innovation, but the context of this union (PC space pilots hiring console mercenaries) is a well thought out proposition that has the potential to become the most realistic war simulator ever created. To learn more about this context, see our feature on the interaction of DUST 514 and EVE.

The blog outlined some of the foundational features regarding player integration that the union affords: “DUST mercenaries can belong to existing EVE corporations if you’re willing to accept their applications. Similarly you will see corporations started by DUST mercenaries recruiting EVE pilots to join up with them. You can share corporation chat including voice chat and invite them into custom channels or private conversations. Mail works in both directions and you can add each other into your contact lists so you don’t forget your new acquaintances.”

It’s not just about chewing the fat with EVE pilots though, there are meaningful additions coming in the form of a higher level game mode called Faction Warfare and the first introductory variations of the awesome Orbital Bombardments; Tactical Strikes. To learn more about these two features and to read the blog in its entirety, click here to mosey on over and have a look.

An EVE pilot rains death from above on battling DUST mercs.