Spore spawns 1 million sales

Despite piracy, EA and Maxis' evolution sim goes platinum in one week; Sporepedia surpasses 25 million creations.

Before Spore launched earlier this month, it seemed as if nothing could steal the spotlight away from Will Wright and EA Maxis' latest life simulation. However, the game proved to be its own worst enemy, as an outcry over the game's digital rights management software sparked a class action lawsuit.

As part of the DRM backlash, many potential customers--500,000 in the first week alone, by Forbes' calculations--have downloaded the game illegally from file-sharing networks. Nonetheless, the so-called "Sim everything" game is still selling well. EA said today that since the game shipped on September 7, more than 1 million copies of the PC, Mac, and Nintendo DS editions have made it into consumers' hands. The game is also available for mobile devices.

EA also touted the popularity of the game's oft-praised Creature Creator. With the number of creatures uploaded to the Sporepedia hanging around 3 million leading up to the game's launch, EA said today that more than 25 million unique digital monstrosities populated its online compendium. As of press time, that number had risen to nearly 26.5 million.

The latest from acclaimed Sim City creator Will Wright, Spore for the PC and Mac gives players the tools to evolve a life-form from its humble protozoan beginnings to a galaxy-spanning empire. Pared down in scope from its desktop counterparts, Spore Creatures on the DS presents a mission-based adventure in which players must rescue a companion after it is mysteriously kidnapped.

Check out GameSpot's reviews of the PC/Mac and DS editions of Spore for more on the game.

111 Comments

  • 1m2sm4rt4u

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 7:42 pm PT

    Hahaha SecuROM crap...these 1 million people (including me) now have this crap DRM thing on their software, and only way to remove it is to reformat hard drive?? lol?? oh, i'm glad ea's gettin sued lol

  • MrEddie

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 4:59 am PT

    1.000.000 copy's sold and how many of these are activated????
    max 999.999 if you ask me.
    I don't like pirating but it seems i don't have much choise anymore (even with this legit copy)
    It's not only EA, its also the games for windows lable i just can't trust anymore.
    Games that are not finished when there in stores,
    min. req. that, not even with a mirical, can't get your game to work and now they tell us how many times we can play the game.
    This was according to every PREVIEW a replayeble game.
    Hope next time they will tell me replayeble, not re-installeble
    sry fr crp eng

  • brian_13un

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 2:53 am PT

    The game sure is great in fact I also send EA my creations

  • hurricaner

    Posted Sep 29, 2008 6:02 pm PT

    please dont mind what i said about the anti its really just nonsence

  • hurricaner

    Posted Sep 28, 2008 12:27 pm PT

    i dont worry about spyware i got anti-spyware , ant-virus , firewall ,anti-anti i got everything i need to protect myself from the drm and more (even the apocalypse!) i bought this game yesterday not what they had 2 years ago that it was open ended, here its closed ended.maxis 6 us ?

  • rachkovsky

    Posted Sep 27, 2008 5:00 pm PT

    This is a nice game!

  • zintarr

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 5:36 pm PT

    500,000 copies pirated. Great job on the DRM! It seems to drive even more people to steal the game. EA scores again.

  • necronaux

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 9:53 am PT

    Be interesting to see sales results if people knew the full extent of its DRM before it was released. And, Will the DRM prevent buying/playing used copies of the game?

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 9:10 am PT

    I might buy this game later if they remove the DRM completely. Otherwise I'm not going to play this game. I don't agree with pirating in any case, so I'm not going that route. I would prefer to just not play the game.

    Apple, Microsoft and now EA (along with others if you search) have had major problems with DRM. When will these companies realize that this is not going to help?

    ChrisMitchell wrote:

    People are always going to pirate stuff, it is the job of the creator to make there products good so people will be willing to pay the asking price. And not to slap them across the face for doing purchasing there product (which is exactly what DRM does).


    Exactly. Treat the criminals as such, not your customers. Also don't put (what amounts to) spyware on someones machine. If you are going to do DRM, go down Microsoft's route where an online activation is required. That has it's flaws, but at least I can call Microsoft every so often after a reinstall and re-activate my products. This doesn't even allow for that.

  • w20046ps1

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 6:34 am PT

    wow

  • w20046ps1

    Posted Sep 26, 2008 6:34 am PT

    wow

  • opollo

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 11:01 pm PT

    1 million sales wow, should of been abt 5million!!
    They would insist on being greedy and everyone who pirated it would of bought it & now its the most pirated game of all time with no follow on sales.
    EA really knows how to please its customers!!

  • PaleShadow

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 10:36 pm PT

    oops. meant "QFT"

    XD

  • PaleShadow

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 10:36 pm PT

    Kenji_Masamune wrote:
    the fact that you can DL the game for free means SecuROM = epic phail.


    ^ QTF!

    That's what I thought too. lol

  • ChrisMitchell

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:59 pm PT

    Ok, so they report about 1,000,000 copies shipped total. I am guessing that most of them are from people who purchased it before they knew that it was infected like this. FACT: the game manual (and ads) state that your whole family can play it. However: in order for other family members to play it you must purchase another copy (even if you play it on the same pc)
    FACT: some DRM is ok, as long as it takes the needs of the consumer into consideration. However: requiring that a family with 4 kids who want to play a game purchase 4 copies is down right disgusting of EA.
    FACT: DRM only ever hinders the users that already purchased the game and intend to use the item (movie, game, music ... ) for legitimate purchases.

    Side Note: If you want to burn (press) a dvd movie with copy protection the burner to do it costs over $10,000 buy anyone with an internet connection and access to google (ie. everyone) can find a FREE program to break your copy protection. (Profit to the movie company -$10,000)

    People are always going to pirate stuff, it is the job of the creator to make there products good so people will be willing to pay the asking price. And not to slap them across the face for doing purchasing there product (which is exactly what DRM does).

    Conclusion: I will buy it.... just as soon as the DRM is toned down. Until them, (here is a hint.... Arrrr, I'ee must be leavin yu' maties, I have sum downlodin t' dooo.)

  • zintarr

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:31 pm PT

    Spore DRM is crap, EA is crap.

  • icuyo

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 4:21 pm PT

    I feel bad for Maxis and Will , but thats what you get for signing with the devil (EA)ps:I hope the partner thing with Valve STAYS that way , i wouldnt like to see vALVE falling into EA´s claws
    stay sharp Valve!!

  • liam72

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 2:12 pm PT

    Yeah well I don't get it. It's not EA that is punished by piracy, it's Maxis. Will Wright is a genius. Anyway... I bought the game and I'm happy that my money went to something worth it. I would hack a MMORPG game but not Spore... monthly payments costs way too much.

  • Rolemodel1822

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 1:57 pm PT

    More like 1 million victims, INMO.

  • Beastfrog

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 11:25 am PT

    Well, I still enjoy it, worth the $60 bucks imo.
    Replayability is actually pretty high because of the different perks you get at the end of each stage.

  • ronniepage588

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 10:50 am PT

    and 1 million people just realized this sucks. its like a bunch of mediocre copies of other much better games all rolled into one, with a really advanced creation tool.

  • MamaMiia

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 9:09 am PT

    Every store I go in has dozens of Spore boxes just sitting on the shelves, unlike when, say, The Sims 2 was released and sold like hot potatoes. When half as many people pirate the game as buy it legitimately, you'd think EA would get the message. Maybe the lawsuit will knock some sense into them.

  • Senor_Kami

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 8:56 am PT

    "It makes people go to crack sites and learn about counter measures, it breeds hate and stops piracy as effectively as a hand slap. More important, it provides pirates a valid argument not to buy original games 'cause only fools would be subject to such stupid form of control."

    People were pirating stuff before DRM was even invented. This isn't a reason to do it, its just the latest way that lets them sleep at night.

    Spore is an awesome game and its a shame that there are people out there who are playing it and loving it yet refusing to reward the developer/publisher for their hard work and investment. Then they hop on message boards complaining that because you can't install it on 5000 computers at once it deserves to be stolen.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 8:54 am PT

    I hate when publishers jade their statistics like this. It's obvious that there are some major differences between the DS version and the PC/Mac version. Coupling the sales of all versions into a single statistic would lead people to believe that all of the versions are equal in quality and selling the same.

    This is likely not the truth. If they want to brag numbers and have them mean something, they need to break it down logically.

  • condemned100

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 8:35 am PT

    Xbox 360 and PS3 are the Best and better to own. Nintendo Wii is not worth to buy it might be $249 but it's still hard to find In store shelves. Here is the Video to prove it.

    http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-14/1248334

  • akhorahill

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:47 am PT

    The title shoud be "In spite of SECUREROM" not "In spite of piracy" EA managed to sell spore.

    And no, secure rom is not just a file, its a service, several .dll files and hidden (WTF!) registry keys. It's a spyware just as hard to remove as any sexx web browser bar.

    It makes people go to crack sites and learn about counter measures, it breeds hate and stops piracy as effectively as a hand slap. More important, it provides pirates a valid argument not to buy original games 'cause only fools would be subject to such stupid form of control.

  • Kenji_Masamune

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:41 am PT

    the fact that you can DL the game for free means SecuROM = epic phail.

  • Funny_bunch71

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:35 am PT

    They deserve all this piracy... There should not be a limit on how many times you can install a game this is outragious I didn't even know about this till recently and now im pissed.

  • daabulls23

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:02 am PT

    Spore had all this hype, and it's come to this. It's a shame, really, (especially for Will Wright, who had a great idea but now has to feel like he's been pooped on) but EA should have seen this coming. I wonder how many sales will be lost becuase of this?

  • monkeyd_93

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 7:00 am PT

    i got spore but need a new video card before i can play.
    isnt the DRM merely a .dll file located in the windows folder somewhere and all you need to do is delete it and prevent spore from accessing the internet to re-install it? Bad thing is though without the net you cant download updates for it or the sporepedia. just what i think anyway

    http://www.arsgeek.com/2008/09/09/how-to-remove-securom-spore-dasmx86dll-issues-and-some-great-drm-free-alternatives/

    method on how to remove securerom from spore for anyone who needs it

  • raahsnavj

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 6:58 am PT

    1 million * $50? You do realize that the box stores take a cut of that too... The final amount of money going to the developers is much less than what you pay for it.

  • Cabal23

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 6:40 am PT

    Yep 1 million people sharing their data with SecureRom. Looks like the new world order is a bit closer than we think.

  • condemned100

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 6:34 am PT

    Blank2k2

    The songs in President Bush's Ipod are Illegally Downloaded and File-Shared. Just listen carefully in the Video I sent you Bush doesn't have to say In a video Interview that he does File-Share because it's quite Obvious. Here is the Video once more.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BFvLkPR2zs

    LOL Bush a File-Sharing Thief and illegal Music downloader is Hilarious the Video itself is Hilarious.

  • Blank2k2

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 6:18 am PT

    condemned100, there's no mention in that video about file sharing.

    Anyway, 1million sales would more than cover the costs to make spore, but i'm still kicking myself for buying the game, its a good game n all that but hell ive paid £30 to install it 3 times, i should of just pirated it for free & played it forever.

  • leper-messiahs

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 6:09 am PT

    yatatabien

    How the hell do you know 1 million is not enough to cover dev costs? What ignorance, I guarantee it is, 1 million @ 49.99 = 50 million, I guarantee Spores budget was not close to thst considering the most expensiov game ever made CRYSIS had a budget of 22 million, get a clue. 1 million is a great figure, especially as PC games sell slower but over a longer period of time, so that number will keep going up. i don't like Spore TBH, but 1 million is a great figure so soon.

  • Destroyeron13

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:49 am PT

    Got the game from somebody else cause I wasn't going to have that DRM crap on my PC. Too bad its not even worth pirating.

  • ColeLink

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:37 am PT

    Looks like it wont beat Force Unleashed in sales like they said it would.

  • Precyse

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:30 am PT

    1 mil. sold in 18 days is pretty impressive, however the drm did screw them over on what could have been more sales. consequences to consider for the next game and future pubs. thinking about using drm.

  • condemned100

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:25 am PT

    File Sharing Thiefs.!. President Bush admits in a Exclusive Interview that he is a File-Sharing Thief.!

    Here It is

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BFvLkPR2zs

  • alooy

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:19 am PT

    When will that lawsuit be resolved?...we demand consumer protection!....EA is hurting the pc gaming market and must be dealt with accordingly
    ..when will they learn that DRM dosen't stop or even slightly hinder piracy at all?..it simply increases it.

  • sandyqbg

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:16 am PT

    I've just bought the game, making me part of that 1 million.

  • D3j1k0

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:08 am PT

    you know, i just noticed something in the related content bar on the right...

    Spore v1.0 patch

    LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

    @deathofaninja: casual gamers

  • khock1

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:07 am PT

    I was thinking about getting this game but now will not.

  • deathofaninja

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 5:02 am PT

    Lies,how did that score a million?

  • Hellequin85

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 4:29 am PT

    EA has always been money minded not gamer minded, it's one of those things. Like a gaming tradition that sucks lol

  • darth_hid3ous

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 4:24 am PT

    So if you pirate the game, you dont get DRM, but if you buy legit you get DRM? Does anyone else see the stupidity of this whole thing?

  • condemned100

    Posted Sep 25, 2008 3:58 am PT

    Getting mad at EA and attacking EA is pointless. EA could give a rats behind that your mad at them with this Issue of DRM. As long as you buy Spore from EA. Even if it means putting viruses and Adware and spyware on your computer.

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