Executive producer Lucy Bradshaw described the copy protection built into EA Maxis' upcoming life-sim Spore (PC, Mac) as a necessary element of the PC gaming business, adding that the software will not burden legitimate users too heavily.

"[Spore has] copy protection, it is a necessary part of our biz," Bradshaw told Eurogamer. "But we've worked to make it something that does not punish the legit owners," Bradshaw said.

Publisher Electronic Arts made waves last May when the company revealed that Spore would require online validation every 10 days to function. The copy protection software was scaled back following consumer backlash.

"You need to authenticate once at the first install," Bradshaw explained. "This happens online. You can install on three separate computers and you do need to... Read more

Following years of delays and setbacks, publisher EA today confirmed that EA Maxis' ambitious life simulator Spore has gone gold and is now in the manufacturing process.

The PC and Mac release is slated to hit North American retailers on September 7, with a slightly less ambitious Nintendo DS version, titled Spore Creatures, arriving the same day. The iPhone version, dubbed Spore Origins, arrives September 4.

The studio has previously released surprisingly low system requirements for the title, with a free creature creator currently available for PC and Mac users to download.

"We are so excited to finally get Spore into the hands of fans and players," said executive producer Lucy Bradshaw. "The Maxis studio has had an absolute blast creating Spore, but the fun is just beginning. The most engaging stories are truly the ones people create themselves, and we can't wait to see how players not only craft and explore the Spore universe, but hear what stories they have to tell as a result."

In addition to video games, creator Will Wright has expressed his desire to turn Spore into a movie and television show, noting that "Spore potentially has a wider net to cast [outside of video games] than The Sims did."

Publisher Electronic Arts wants to turn EA Maxis' upcoming life simulator Spore into a feature film and a television show, creator Will Wright has revealed.

"With Spore, we're looking way outside the game space, such as TV, movies, etc," Wright explained to Reuters. "We're basically planting the seeds to spread Spore out to a much wider group of people than would ever play a computer game."

Due out on PC and Mac September 7, Spore tasks players with creating and managing a lifeform from its cellular phase to galactic domination. A less ambitious Nintendo DS version, Spore Creatures, is due out the same day, and a free creature creator is already available for PC and Mac users.

Wright, the creative mind behind EA's widely successful The Sims franchise, stressed that the company will be "much more intelligent about harvesting other market opportunities for Spore than we were with The Sims," noting his belief that "Spore potentially has a wider net to cast [outside of video games] than The Sims did."

Electronic Arts recently partnered with United Talent Agency to help create movies and televion shows based on EA properties, with a live-action The Sims movie and animated MySims television show already in the works.

Spore lead designer Will Wright revealed that the religious elements in EA Maxis' upcoming life-sim Spore (PC, Mac) has unexpectedly earned more criticism from athiests than religious groups.

The game sports a focus on the evolution of creatures from the cellular level all the way to the point of interstellar travel. The game's civilization stage, in which players control groups of creatures in an RTS-like fashion, allows players to select from a militaristic, economic, or spiritual society.

"I didn't expect to hit hot buttons on the atheist side as much; I expected it on the religious side," Wright told Eurogamer. "But so far I've had no critical feedback at all from anybody who is religious feeling that we were misrepresenting... Read more

EA Maxis' long-in-development and oft-delayed evolution simulator Spore is roughly a week away from completion, producer Thomas Vu has revealed.

During a studio visit today, Vu informed CNET that the highly anticipated title is slated to go gold within the next week--a phrase that indicates the game is done and has been sent off to manufacturing in advance of its September 7 release on PC and Mac.

In related news, EA CEO John Riccitiello today noted his hopes that the game's success could lead to a Spore publishing label, similar to the company's Sims division.

He also revealed that Spore is likely to receive multiple expansion packs and additional parts as paid downloadable content or microtransactions, but said... Read more

It was somewhere between ordering my army of blue-blooded Max Rebo soldiers to crush an enemy civilization, and conquering the galaxy from the comfort of a spaceship that resembled a four post bed, when I realized they had pulled it off. Spore is great.My primary concern with the game was that there simply wouldn't be enough to do--that the goals or missions provided would be too boring or infrequent to offer much outside of the game's sandbox creation.

Don't get me wrong, the missions are often simple--but they are not boring. While the civilization level of the game is not as fully featured as a real RTS, it is nevertheless fun to play, and comes alive when taken in the context of the game. The galactic stage is a combination of elements, all tied together with a few photon torpedoes and close encounters.

But rather than wax on for a few dozen paragraphs, I'll simply attempt to relate what I encountered while playing the latter half of Spore for a full Earth hour.... Read more

At the Electronic Arts press event, Maxis designer Will Wright talked on his upcoming evolutionary title Spore.

Wright spoke of his goal of merging science and creativity, and the "awe-inspiring" user-generated content of the Spore Creature Creator. Based on the Sims character creator, Wright estimated 100,000 creatures by the launch of the game, but that mark was reached in 22 hours, with 1,000,000 after a week.

Close to 2 million now exist in the database, a number that actually exceeds the total of known species on Earth. Wright mentioned that based on the pace, the fans have amounted to 38% of God's productivity, or, as he dubbed it, .38G.

The designer then went over a few surprising creatures that were created, including a skeleton and the Portal cube. 85,000 YouTube videos have been uploaded of Spore so far.

Wright also revealed that the SETI Institute was a major inspiration for the game. "In the future, we're going to be working very closely [with the SETI Institute]," he said.

A short trailer was then show. Check back later for the new footage.

Publisher EA today released a metric truckload of E3 media for its upcoming games. Check below for screenshots from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Dead Space, FaceBreaker, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Left 4 Dead, Lord of the Rings Conquest, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, SimCity Creator, Skate It, Spore and Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC, 360)

Dead Space (PC, PS3, 360)

FaceBreaker (PS3, 360, Wii)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PC, PS2, PS3, ... Read more

EA Maxis' Spore Creature Creator ranked at #1 in PC games sold in the United States during the week ending June 21, according to data from sales tracking firm NPD.

Released two weeks ago, the utility--offered as a free trial and a $10 retail purchase--allows customers to sample the creation tool from the anticipated life sim Spore, due out September 7 on PC and Mac. Over one million creative, bizarre, and sometimes vulgar monstrosities have since been made.

Spore Creature Creator beat out EA Maxis' The Sims 2 Double Deluxe and Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, respectively placed in second and third. An official tally of units sold was not made available by the NPD.

The week's top 10 best-selling PC games are viewable below... Read more

A listing for a special collector's edition of EA Maxis' upcoming life simulator Spore has appeared on games retailer GameStop's website.

Dubbed the Spore Galactic Edition, the package includes a "Making of Spore" DVD, a "How to Build a Better Being" DVD created by the National Geographic Channel, a hardback Spore artbook and fold-out poster, and a 100-page Galactic Handbook in addition to the game itself.

The package is listed at a $79.99 price point, slated for release alongside its standard edition counterpart on September 7.

Unlike the recently released Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) limited edition, no mention of plans to sell the Galactic Edition exclusively at GameStop was made in the listing.

EA Maxis' Spore Creature Creator has been provided to the general public and, as expected, the masses have unleashed a wave of phallic monsters.

Of course, there's far more to the creations than just sexually explicit organisms. In the following article, you'll find a selection of original critters, recreations of popular game characters, and, yes, penis beasts.

Day of the Purple Spore Creature (link to this video)
Speaking of tentacles, archindividual seems to have a thing for old ones.

Click through to see just what happens when the public gets creative ... Read more

Now available for all to download is a trial version of the Spore Creature Creator. This tool will allow you to create your own completely unique creatures, which you can then use in Spore later this year.

If you want to go beyond the trial, Electronic Arts will be selling a $10 full version of the tool online, starting tomorrow--marking a one-day delay beyond what was originally announced.

Publisher Electronic Arts has released the minimum system requirements for EA Maxis' long-awaited galaxy-spanning evolution simulator Spore.

Spore is slated to arrive on PC and Mac September 7, with a Nintendo DS edition, titled Spore Creatures, hitting on the same day.

The game's creature creator will be available for PC and Mac on June 17, a move meant to help populate the title's vast online universe.

FOR WINDOWS XP
• 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
• 512 MB RAM
• A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
• At least 6 GB of hard drive space

FOR WINDOWS VISTA
• 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
• 768 MB RAM
• A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
• At least 6 GB of hard drive space

Read on for further details on Spore's requirements, including video cards, Windows Vista warnings, Mac system compatibility and more... Read more

Maxis gaming professor Will Wright is bringing a little of that GDC 2005 magic in this new Spore trailer, an overarching video that gives a sense of the game's evolutionary foundation.

The ambitious title will hit PC and Mac on September 7, with the free Creature Creator coming on June 17.

Maxis today released four high resolution screenshots that show off the creature phase in its upcoming evolutionary simulation Spore. The game is due out September 7 on PC and Mac.

Describes Maxis of the creature phase: "Gather DNA points as you interact with other creatures either socially or aggressively. Collect new parts, then use the Creature Creator to spend your DNA and expand your creature's abilities."

And if you missed it, here too is last week's creature phase trailer:

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Electronic Arts today released new screenshots and video detailing the cell phase of Maxis' upcoming evolutionary title Spore.

Developed by Maxis, Spore has players managing the evolution of their creatures from the cellular level all the way to the point of interstellar travel. The universe--populated by other player's creations in a unique single-player MMO system--will introduce multiple gameplay elements, including simulation, real-time strategy, and action.

Spore is set for a September 7 release on PC and Mac, with a Nintendo DS version hitting on the same day. The Creature Creator application, a free download, will be out on June 17.

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BioWare producer Derek French recently caused an uproar after announcing that copy protection on the PC editions of Mass Effect and Spore would require online validation every 10 days in order for the games to continue functioning.

In the face of increasing pressure, BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts today relented, updating the official Mass Effect PC FAQ to note that validation will now only be required when the player downloads new game content.

Q: If the game isn't going to require an authentication every 10 days, will it ever require re-authentication?

A: Only if the player chooses to download new game content.

Electronic Arts also released a statement mentioning that Spore's copy protection will be similarly changed to allow for offline play, only requiring validation on a patch or game content update.

The publisher further noted that the protection will still only allow users to authenticate each game on up to three computers. Approval of further authorizations... Read more

Update: Electronic Arts has relented to the pressure.

Original story: BioWare technical producer Derek French has said that the PC versions of both Mass Effect and Spore will make use of copy protection that will require online validation every ten days in order for the games to continue working.

"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.

If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function.

"After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French. "..An internet connection is not required to install, just to activate the first time, and every 10 days after."

The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."

According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."

French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labeled on the games' packaging.

While the full version of evolution simulator Spore isn't slated to arrive until September 7, developer Maxis and studio owner Electronic Arts have announced that the game's creature creation toolset will be available to PC owners worldwide beginning June 17.

On that day, a demo version of the Creature Creator, containing 25% of the title's total creature parts, will be released as a free download. That demo will also be packed within the upcoming SimCity Box (PC) compilation.

Those seeking access to the whole of the game's creature-making parts before its September debut will need to hunt down the retail version of the Spore Creature Creator, which will sell for $9.99 in North America and 9.99 EUR in most European territories.

Both versions of the Creature Creator will allow wannabe Dr. Frankensteins will to import their virtual lifeforms into the full game as well as upload videos of their creations onto YouTube.

Maxis marketing VP Patrick Buechner said that a trial version of the creature creator in the company's upcoming life sim Spore will hit PCs this June, IGN reports.

The Creator Creator will allow gamers to get a head start in crafting the unique alien species for use in the title, which is currently slated for a September release. The trial will be functionally identical to the creator found in the full game.

Containing around 25% of the total creature parts from Spore, the trial will be be available for free via download from the game's official website, as well as a pack-in bonus in the upcoming SimCity Box compilation.

A version will also be available on retail shelves around the same time, which is said to include every creature part from the full title. A price for the retail version of the Spore Creature Creator was not immediately available.