Spore producer: expansions planned, DRM necessary

Posted Aug 15, 2008 at 5:44PM by QJ Staff Listed in: PC Gaming Tags: BioWare, Digital Rights Management, DRM, Lucy Bradshaw, Maxis
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Spore producer: expansions planned, DRM necessary - Image 1 


In a short interview with Eurogamer, producer Lucy Bradshaw confirmed that internal studio Maxis has expansions planned for Spore. The producer also re-confirmed that SecuROM will be integrated into every retail copy of Spore.

"When we started Spore, we were thinking about how we'd make an engine that had the possibility of expansion, so yes, we'll add to the experience," she told Eurogamer. However, unlike the studio's million-selling franchise The Sims, Spore's engine allows for not only the introduction of more content.

In fact, Bradshaw says that one of the many features that were cancelled for Spore's initial release, the Flora Editor, is likely to come as a Spore add-on in the future. "It's something we eventually want to get out there as it is fun to work with," she added.

But perhaps more concerning to mainstream PC gamers were the thoughts over DRM software, which Spore will likely arrive with come September. Bradshaw confirms the news announced earlier that SecuROM protection will be included, and that they 10-day authentication will not be implemented.

Like BioWare's Mass Effect, the copy protection method will require a one-time online authentication. It will also still limit the installation of one copy of Spore over three different systems.

There was no clarification if subsequent updates to content and Spore would need authentication, nor was there clarification if minor or major changes to hardware would nullify yet another activation from the limited three.

We intend to clear the air soon before Spore ships to shelves, so stay tuned for updates on that.



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Via Eurogamer

 
 
 

Comments [refresh]

by Justingraziano - 2008-08-15 12:55
» ...

Yea put some more DRM in so we can see how long it takes for it to get hacked like it always does. I think they waste more money on the DRM software then they do on developing the actual games!

by Xastabus - 2008-08-15 17:42
» Well...

I was planning to buy this game... but I'm not handing over $50 so that EA can have a death grip on the media and limit the number of installations. And online activation?! WTF?!? They may be rare, but there are people without internet access or paranoid people like me who don't like the idea of games calling home on a regular basis.



So much for that, I'll stick to consoles.

by manneke - 2008-08-15 18:07
» ...

patched exe......

by kraft - 2008-08-15 22:38
» ..

it's so hard not to do that these days+)

by NakedFaerie - 2008-08-16 22:22
» DRM necessary, so is pirating.

DRM necessary????

Ok, so they think DRM necessary. I think a pirated copy is necessary.

The more they put in copy protection the less chance I will buy it.



If they remove all the protection they will sell more. What about the people without internet connected PCs? I know a heap of people with PCs not connected to the net. My daughter has 1 and I have another.



This is total crap. There is no need for DRM and there never will be. It's just companies want to be in control of the world. They want to know who is running what. It's like a legal spyware. They can get stuffed.

I will personally wait for the hacked version and download that instead of buying it.

by NakedFaerie - 2008-08-16 22:29
» Get stuffed!!!

"It will also still limit the installation of one copy of Spore over three different systems."



So this means you buy the game, install it. Reinstall Windows 3 times and you have to buy another copy????

Do they use Windows? It needs a reinstall at least once a year, usually 2x in a year, so by what they are saying Spore will only last 1.5 years before you have to buy a new copy....



Get stuffed!!!

by Daisako - 2008-08-19 14:03
» I now decided not to buy it

I am definitely not going to buy it now. I was looking forward to the game but after this crap I have decided my money would be spent better somewhere else. I format my laptop weekly, I am a computer science student that experiments with different operating systems and different technologies and I cannot afford a game that pulls this kind of b.s. I am extremely against DRM, looks like they just lost a customer. I will just play my girlfriend's copy...

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