spore logoThe DRM monster is on the loose again, with the release of Will Wrights long awaited SPORE. Users are so unhappy with SPOREs included Digital Rights Management (DRM), they are downloading pirated torrents of the game in record numbers making it the most pirated game ever. Add to this an appalling one star user rating at amazon.com and it really is a looming public relations disaster if Electronic Arts (EA) does not act quickly.

To give you an idea of just how draconian SPOREs DRM is, the manual included with the game clearly states “You may have multiple Spore accounts for each installation of the game” but EA has admitted that this is a printing error. So for two people to play the game on one computer you will need to purchase a second copy of the game. Great. You can’t even back up the game without paying for EA’s Extended Download Service.

Including such draconian anti-piracy measures with possibly the most awaited game since Duke Nukem Forever is just baffling. Understanding how EA has failed to learn from disasters like Sony’s root kit debacle or Creatives Message to Daniel_K (just to name a couple) can only be achieved by Vulcan Mind Melding with every EA staff member responsible for the decision to include the DRM. Dare I say the meld would have to include WIll Wright himself? I hope not. I can understand EA treating its customers like this in search of profit, but surely not Will himself. I’m going to cling to the hope that he knew nothing about it until I learn otherwise.

You can read more about the backlash on TechCrunch, and for more about DRM in general I highly recommend and article by Matt Martin from Gameindustry.biz appropriately titled “User Friendly“.