The Plot Thickens

In part 1, I outlined the frustration caused by an apparent 'misprint' in Will Wright's Spore title that led users to believe that multiple Spore.com profiles could log in to use the online features of the game (http://www.media-geeks.com/articles/1232/It%27s_a_Con-Spore-Acy/). Additional evidence led players to hypothesize a misprint wasn't the issue, but rather a late-in-development decision was made to rip that functionality from the game. 300+ forum complaints later an official explanation and apology has come from Maxis/Electronic Arts, though admittedly, it's simply a new forum thread as opposed to the press release I predicted earlier.

Spore Players,

I want to apologize for the confusion surrounding access to the online features of Spore. Most of the confusion is stemming from our own mistake in the game manual that states that you can have multiple Spore accounts for each installation of the game. This is incorrect. The information that appears on the box is correct; only one unique Spore account and Screen Name/Persona can be created with each copy of the product. We will correct this information in future iterations of the manual.

I have noted that there are a few other misunderstandings that I hope to clarify here:

• To access Spore's online features, you will need to register online and create a Spore Screen Name/Persona.
• If you already have an EA.com account, you will only need to Login using that account information and create a Spore Screen Name/Persona.
• Only one Spore Screen Name/Person can be created with a single copy of the game.
• You can play Spore offline, for this reason we have included the ability to play while not logged in.
• If you have installed your copy of Spore on multiple computers, your single account can be actively logged in up to 3 times simultaneously.
• Once you have a Spore account, you can log in with that account on any computer that has an install of any legitimate copy of Spore. On a single install it is possible for multiple users to switch back and forth between unique online Spore accounts. For this reason we have included a Log Out button in the Online Settings options labeled, Disconnect from Spore or change users. The different accounts will be playing in the same Galaxy, and will, therefore, share the same data folders.

Again, I apologize for the confusion and the mistaken information.

Lucy

As you might imagine, this did little to calm or reassure users. Frankly, I don't believe anyone is confused at this point, certainly disappointed, possibly upset, but not confused. Forums posts have certainly not subsided and word is spreading. Digg.com has begun picking up articles on the story (including ours) and Consumerist.com not only has been reporting on this issue, but the DRM Security issues and Amazon.com's recent (ahem) 'temporary glitched' removal of all negative reviews of the product. There seems to still be a lot of story here, and we'll keep posting when we know more.

Update: And now, the resolution!