DUST 514 will support PS3 cross-play with future Sony consoles

CCP isn't worried about the possibility of a new hardware cycle - it'll just adapt its PlayStation 3 exclusive DUST 514 to new tech.

"If there is a PlayStation 4 – which I can tell you now I have no idea if there is – but if there was, we would build Dust for that console as well," CEO Hilmar Pétursson told Develop.

"It will most likely be a revision of the experience, as with all updates, and could allow people to play across PS3 and 4."

Pétursson compared the possibility of a new console to the constant upgrading of PC technology.

"We have been faced with technology upgrade challenges for years," he explained.

"We release new versions of EVE at a time when most people don’t have the technology to support it, so we operate both the old and new versions of EVE on the same client and allow people to migrate.

"We will continue to develop on PlayStation 3 even after the release of Dust, and I think the game’s audience is more used to constant updates than people may assume. I mean, if you look at Call of Duty, that essentially is an online experience that has undergone mass migration across three games."

DUST 514 , a shooter with direct, two-way ties to EVE Online, is currently in closed beta, and expected in northern spring. Players take on the role of ground troop mercenaries, and negotiate contracts for EVE Online players. Those who perform well can earn their way out of paying the game's subscription - just as in EVE Online.