Microsoft Excel Is Teaming Up… With EVE Online

Now the “spreadsheet simulator” is getting an addon that lets you export data into Microsoft’s office suite.

Usually, when a games company teams up with Microsoft, it’s to get its library onto the Xbox Game Pass. However, the developer of EVE Online, CCP Games, is more interested in the Redmond giant’s spreadsheet application, and for good reason.

Bringing Intergalactic Number-Crunching to Microsoft Excel

As reported by Engadget, space explorers from around the world will soon enjoy the power of Excel in their game. To some, this collab was perhaps unsurprising, given how EVE Online has garnered the reputation of being a “spreadsheet simulator.”

The game heavily features number-crunching in-world, and players often take to spreadsheets of their own to play the game better. Whether you’re maximizing a trade haul to the commerce center of Jita to squeezing out the few drops of damage from your Destroyer build, you need to manage a lot of numbers. And these numbers serve best when in a spreadsheet.

That’s why CCP Games announced at the most recent EVE Fest that it is developing the ability to export all your numbers into EVE Online into Microsoft Excel. And combined with the update back in 2020 that allows capsuleers to turn off the graphics of the game to focus purely on their spreadsheets, it’s another win for those that like to get the best bang for their buck.

Another Helping Hand to Game Developers From Microsoft

Microsoft has been on a bit of a generosity spree with other developers as of late. For instance, the company has opened the doors for other developers to bring their subscription-based libraries onto the Xbox Game Pass, an offer that allowed EA Play to make its debut on the service at no additional cost to the consumer.

And only very recently, Microsoft aided Epic Games by smuggling Fortnite onto the iOS store, despite Apple’s feud with the developer. As such, there’s a good chance that Microsoft is doing these small acts of kindness to help cement the idea that it’s a powerful yet beneficial force in the gaming scene, and that developers and gamers alike can both prosper within its ecosystem.

Spreadsheets in Space Just Got Better

With EVE Online getting Microsoft Excel support in the future, number-crunching has never been easier. And it’ll be interesting to see what other little acts of kindness Microsoft will offer game developers in the future.