Reykjavík
Welcome to Iceland, the home of the Northern Lights, the midnight sun and the headquarters of the award-winning games company - CCP!
Reykjavík is Iceland's capital city and is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which was established by Ingólfur Arnarson in AD 874. A lot of things have happened since the viking era and today Reykjavik is famous for its culture, design, and music scene, along with its close proximity to breathtakingly stunning nature wonders.
Want to know more about what it is really like to live and work in Iceland? Take a peak here:
Why we love working at CCP
Tryggvi Hjaltason
There are a few things that set CCP a part in my experience.
You are very much encouraged to be who you truly are at CCP and the company is also very flexible in dealing with talent.
The player community is fantastic and the company cultivates very strong bonds with the players through several initiatives like Fanfests and player councils and deep research into their behaviour like understanding how friendships are made which comes back to serve as a major “perk” for the employees because you understand on a deeper level how you are impacting the players and form more meaningful connections with the community.
There is room for crazy ideas while at the same time the company is surprisingly stable for a gaming company.
CCP has a very open sharing culture as to what is going on and how we are doing.Teams are encouraged to share their work, the CEO runs a very honest weekly blog that discusses everything from revenue to user tests and teams freely share experience and knowledge through projects.
Why we love working at CCP
Maziar Shahsafdari
Working at CCP, and the job I get to do, are things that I must remind myself on a regular basis are real and actually happening. I get to write about stars and spaceships, help fashion scripts for amazing videos and generally do something creative every single day.
When I started working here, it was clear that everyone’s goal around me was to help integrate me as soon as possible and contribute to the shared success of the company. In my team specifically, I get to work with hugely talented individuals who are masters of their craft and put out inspirational material daily. I am given the freedom to work flexibly, and from the very beginning felt completely trusted and believed in by my peers and management.
I have the confidence to be completely honest and open with my ideas, abilities and opinions when working cross-department with my colleagues, old and new.
Why we love working at CCP
Michael Fitzsimmons
CCP has given me an opportunity to build a career, something which would not have been possible in my previous job. I’ve been given the encouragement to develop new skills and gain qualifications. For me, CCP has been a place where my effort is recognized and rewarded. I’ve never regretted my move to Iceland from the UK.
Why we love working at CCP
Ingibjörg Lilja Diðriksdóttir
One of my favourite memories of working at CCP was at my first EVE event outside Iceland. At EVE North in Toronto, we visited the CN Tower which I figured would be OK even if I am pretty terrified of heights. There is a glass floor in this tower where you can see 342meters straight down and other CCPers and EVE players were walking across like it was nothing. So I was like „sure I can do this!“ But quickly I realized there was no way …not even with my eyes closed!
But before I knew it everyone, even those that I did not know, were chanting my name and leading me trembling and with my eyes closed, all the way across that damn glass floor. It was such an amazing experience and I felt so supported by this amazing community.
Iceland punches well above its weight on the world stage and appears at the top of some of the most prestigious global indexes for success and wellbeing.
Here are just some of the reasons why Iceland is one of the most kickass countries to live in the world.
Why Iceland?
- Most peaceful country in the world on the Global Peace Index
- Safest country in the world according to the World Population Review
- 2nd highest quality of life in the world on the Economist World Democracy Index
- 3rd on the OECD Better Life Index
- 3rd in the world for median wealth per adult
- 4th on the United Nations World Happiness Report
- 4th highest life expectancy in the world
- 7th in the Economist' Where to be Born' index
- 1st on the Economist Glass-Ceiling index
- 1st country in the world to have an openly gay head of government
- 1st country in the world to have a political party formed and led entirely by women
- 1st democratically elected female president
- 6th lowest rate of income inequality in the world based on the Gini Index
- 9th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage
- Iceland is consistently ranked among the top three countries in the world for women to live in
- Listed by Lonely Planet, Forbes and Reuters as one of the top 10 LGBTQ wedding destinations in the world
- Trade union membership is the highest in the world, giving workers a strong voice and plenty of employment rights
- Guinness World Record holder of the title 'Greenest Country'
- Lowest level of pollution compared to any other industrialised country, as ranked by the OECD
- Highest score on the Environmental Sustainability Index, which measures a country's water use, biodiversity and adoption of clean energies, with a score of 93.5/100.
- In the top 10 greenest economies ranked by the Global Green Economy Index
- 11th in Yale University's Environmental Performance Index
- Iceland runs almost completely on domestically produced renewable energy
Iceland holds the Guinness world record for Greenest Country. It has the lowest level of pollution of any industrialised country, the highest score on the environmental sustainability index and runs almost entirely on renewable energy.
- World's largest electricity producer per capita which means hot water, heating, and electricity are cheap
- Highest proportion of internet access in the world - 95% of the population has internet access, and connection speed is fast
- 3rd in the development of information and communications technology according to The United Nations International Telecommunication Union
- 5th most productive country in the world per capita
- 6th most developed country in the world on the United Nations' Human Development Index
- 9th strongest purchasing power in the world
- 11th most innovative country in the world on INSEAD's Global Innovation Index
- 11th freest economy in the world on the Index of Economic Freedom
- 12th in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index
- Iceland is the only country in the world to have a population under two million yet still have a floating exchange rate and an independent monetary policy
- Iceland is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA), and has access to the single market of the European Union (EU)
Iceland's natural wonders are a source of great pride for the nation and a big attraction for visitors. People from all over the world come to experience the northern lights and magical midnight sun.
Intrepid explorers seek out ice caves and glaciers, volcanoes and hot springs. You can even go diving between the rift of two tectonic plates. Photographers love to capture black sand beaches, magnificent waterfalls and steaming geysers. And wildlife lovers can spot enormous blue whales and experience the worlds largest supercolony of puffins. Iceland is a unique outdoors wonderland and many of the highlights are just a short drive away from Reykjavik. In fact, you can see the very glacier that inspired Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth whilst standing on the coast in Reykjavik.
Iceland has the highest ratio of musicians to inhabitants anywhere in the world and music is an important part of Icelandic culture.
From 13 time Grammy-nominated Bjork to Oscar-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, the Icelandic music scene is varied, talented and active. Living in Reykjavik offers access to regular concerts at which can include The Icelandic symphony orchestra, opera and various dance and rock acts.
Iceland offers a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with your favourite artists at the supermarket, at the cinema, or even at the office. With such a small population, you're sure to work with someone who knows or is related to someone famous.
But the best band you've never heard of is Permaband, CCPs very own in-house band. Check out their musical genius in the videos below.
Throughout the year there are multiple music festivals hosting some of the biggest bands around. In recent years, Reykjavik locals have enjoyed International acts such as The Prodigy, Ed Sheeran, Radiohead and Tove Lo.
Secret Solstice is one the most anticipated summer events where you can party for three days under the midnight sun and take side trips to concerts in ice caves or at the hot pools. Airwaves is the Winter favourite with mini-concerts and events popping up all over town.
