EA limits Spore online accounts

PC News | Misprint in game manual sparks controversy.

Electronic Arts, the publisher behind Spore has come out and confirmed that players of the PC evolution game are only able to create one online account per copy of the game, which has sparked outrage amongst gamers with more than one player per household.

Although clearly printed in the game's manual that "you may have multiple Spore accounts for each installation of the game," EA representative Violet has confirmed via the game's official forum that "that section in the manual was a misprint."

One of the biggest selling points of the title, a Spore account allows players to access the game's online functionality and Sporepedia - allowing for players to share their creature creations amongst each other to populate your world with an abundance of user-created new lifeforms.

While it is possible for more than one user to play Spore under a sole online account, many annoyed gamers have voiced their outrage on the forum, frustrated that they must share their account with other members of their family. Though the game does come with the option of being played offline, players are warned that "many features of Spore will be unavailable" when choosing that option.

Violet went on to explain that the game manual error, "will be corrected in future printings of the manual. There is one Spore registration/account per game/serial code so you are correct in that you cannot make multiple accounts at this time. I have sent your guys' feedback to the game team though since I can understand the desire to share a game on a system that you entire family uses."

Related Spore Content

Spore set to evolve to the silver screen
03 Oct, 2009 Game to be adapted as animated feature.

Second Spore expansion already in the works
14 Oct, 2008 Creatures in space.

Spore expansion on the way
13 Oct, 2008 Spore turns creepy and cute next month.

Page12 Next

27 Comments

Marka

3 years ago

Printing error or change of mind. I wonder wich it realy is.

Passa

3 years ago

Yeah, whatever. EA totally f**ked Spore up as far as I'm concerned with the DRM.. is this really the norm with all their PC releases now? I'm particularly concerned since Crysis: Warhead is on the horizon, and while I purchased Crysis, I certainly won't be spending a cent on Warhead should it include a similar implementation on SecuROM.

Lord Haart

3 years ago

PALGN wrote

EA limits Spore online accounts
Scientifically proves the phrase "The leopard does not change his spots."

barrett

3 years ago

Won't be buying this till they get rid of all the control freak garbage that comes with the game.

Even though you may have bought the game it obvious now that you don't own it and are able to do as you wish.EA will decide for you what/who/how you play.

Bit like buying a car and Holden / Ford telling you that only your sister can drive it and she can only drive it on odd days.

EA mustn't employ proof readers either.

Stupid EA

Rabscallion

3 years ago

Thing is, it punishes people who buy it legit. All this stuff isnt there on cracked versions :/

grim-one

3 years ago

While it's the 'misprint' is insulting - one account per CD-key is hardly a new thing. Plenty of online games come with a one time serial that are associated with a single online identity (mostly RTS come to mind).

Fly

3 years ago

Blink wrote

Thing is, it punishes people who buy it legit. All this stuff isnt there on cracked versions :/

Exactly the argument that is used every. single. time. in these types of situations and is highlighted every. single. time. how those who buy the thing are the ones treated as the criminals while the real criminals get away with a better product, you guessed it. every. single. time.

That companies continue along this path is reason enough for individuals to become irritated with the companies and the procedures because time and time again it has proven to be ineffective, time and time again the security is beefed and time and time again it is once again ineffective. Why then continue on again and increase again the security on the one off chance that yes it'd work and it can't be pirated but tat would be because it's gotten to the point where no one has bought the damned thing because you spend days unlocking it to play it. $100 rubix cube anyone?

It doesn't work, it never has, why continue on down that path?

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

pretty sure spore has sounded the death knell for me and pc gaming, couldn't be arsed dealing with this crap all the time.........

G3ck0

3 years ago

First PC game I have bought in years, and I can only install it 3 times, probably less, as I think EB sold me a second hand copy as new! Not a good impression of PC gaming. At least I have to buy Mac games online, and they will be brand new.

bleach1st

3 years ago

wooooow I am so happy I didn't buy this game when it was new... only 3 installs and now this? This game is s**t, I wouldn't buy it for anymore than $20 now!

RhysDeschain

3 years ago

^^ EB don't sell second hand PC games.

ObsoletE

3 years ago

^ they kinda do, if someone has returned it.

Karai Pantsu

3 years ago

^ Don't they have a policy in place so PC games cannot be returned once opened? So they don't run the risk of on-selling a game that has had it's key (assuming there is one) used.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

When i bought the fallout collection from there the disc had fingerprints and a massive scratch running the length of the disc on it, that was "new"

Karai Pantsu

3 years ago

Huh... that's pretty damned weak. Also, who would return Fallout in the first place?! Philistines.

Despite all the noise being made about the DRM and now this, I still want SPORE very, very much. I want to sic my weird creations on other... weird creations, and then build fanciful war machine for my civilization. And then? Nuke the site from orbit, 'cause it's the only way to be sure =)

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

Well if i hadn't already strapped it to my computer with the drm you could have mine, I enjoyed it for a while there until i realised why it didn't seem "right" to me.

ObsoletE

3 years ago

Karai Pantsu wrote

^ Don't they have a policy in place so PC games cannot be returned once opened? So they don't run the risk of on-selling a game that has had it's key (assuming there is one) used.

they do for certain games, like Half-Life 2 (well, steam games in general) and MMOs where the CD-Key is locked to an account.

now i know that Spore is a similar case, but there's no guarantee that EB Management know this, and whether policy reflects this. it usually takes a few days before the stores are told not to accept returns.

i remember people returning WoW and HL2, even though the CD-Keys would be worthless, and the staff knew this, but at the time didn't have any choice as this was their store policy, since then, the MMOs i've bought come with a warning that they are non-returnable.

More and more, unforunately, this will be the case, and in time they might implement a no returns on PC titles altogether, but at the moment it's only restricted to a master-list.

G3ck0

3 years ago

I am gonna ring EB and tell them that I bought Spore on Saturday and it says the CD key has been used. Hopefully they can sort it out.

Edit: That was quick. It was a 30 second phone call. I told him about it, and he said bring it in and get a new copy. Easy.

ObsoletE

3 years ago

glad to hear you weren't screwed.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

Pity the next guy who buys it when they put it back on the shelf, d'oh...

G3ck0

3 years ago

Would they be allowed to do that though? That means at least 2 of the installs, plus it is registered, is gone. I don't know what they will do. Hope they don't and someone buys it and thinks they can only install it once.

Fly

3 years ago

Sambo110 wrote

Would they be allowed to do that though?

No, but they will, because it's EB. Who knows though, they might grow a collective brain and actually try getting a new key attached to the product so that they could, but hey, you got screwed by it chances are they'll screw others until someone just takes it and doesn't complain.

G3ck0

3 years ago

But Spore only has 3 installs. I installed it, the last owner probably did, maybe even twice. So who know, maybe it has run out of installs already.

Fetidchimp

3 years ago

It was probably a keygen or something like that, I read a few galactic editions were getting this out of the box though.....

Page12 Next

View as forum topic

Add Comment