Eve Online developer CCP has opened a studio in Newcastle. CCP Newcastle will work with CCP Asia on the DUST 514, an upcoming console game (PS3, 360) that ties into the Eve universe. CCP Newcastle will be focused on getting increased performance from Unreal Engine 3. After they’ve got that under control, they will start work on researching technology for the next generation of consoles. The studio has been formed from ex-members of Midway Newcastle, whom developed The Wheelman and Test Drive.

“The North East has a distinguished heritage of game development, an experienced console-development talent pool and local universities producing exceptional graduates. We have been able to assemble a world-class team of console developers with unparalleled Unreal Engine expertise and integrate them with CCP’s global organisation,” said CCP Newcastle’s Richard Smith.

CCP has a lot of jobs on offer across the globe, and it’s obvious they want to scale up and make strides into the highly profitable console sector.