Development of the free-market space MMO EVE Online now incorporates the audio pipeline solution Wwise, game developer CCP and middleware provider Audiokinetic have declared. The partnership blossomed during production of last week's EVE Online: Apocrypha, the MMO's most recent free expansion. Large-scale space battles are a frequent occurrence in the EVE universe, and today's announcement points out that, for the game's "intergalactic gladiators," sound integration and fidelity "plays an important role in the immersion factor." "Ease of use was one of the key factors in our decision to choose Audiokinetic over other middleware solutions we tested," said CCP audio director Baldur Baldursson. "Audiokinetic seems very serious in creating powerful tools that actually work for sound designers and musicians. We were able to focus on designing the sounds themselves instead of having to worry about technology issues." "Integrating the actual sounds was fun," he added. Much as Something Awful's Goonfleet recently took control of a massive proportion of the EVE galactic map in an unprecedented move of corporate espionage, Audiokinetic hopes to hold similar dominion over the world of video game sound pipeline middleware. "We've never been shy about the fact that we want to become the leader of the industry," decreed president and CEO André Nadeau.