Spore begins mitosis

Will Wright's upcoming game Spore lets players guide the progress of life from a single-celled organism to a space-faring species. Today, much like the interstellar travelers featured in the game, Electronic Arts announced that Spore has completed its long journey and gone gold.

Spore is set for release on the Mac and the PC on September 5 in Europe and September 7 in North America and Asia. The game will be available in standard and "Galactic" editions, which will sell in the US for $50 and $80, respectively. The extra $30 will net gamers a pair of DVDs, a hardback art book, a poster, and a premium 100-page "Galactic Handbook." A DS spin-off, Spore Creatures, will go on sale worldwide on September 7.

Gamers whose platforms of choice were not mentioned can still take heart. Electronic Arts has confirmed a Wii edition is in development, and other console versions have also been hinted at.

For more on Spore, check out GameSpot's latest hands-on impressions.