Spore Patch changes DRM Policy so Users can Regain Installations

Posted 2 months ago at 6:58 pm. 1 comment
Posted in EA, Games, WTF.

The Spore Patch described below has not been released yet. Download’s Spore’s Patch here!

After the massive amount of complaints about Spore’s “draconian” DRM, EA sheds some light on its future plans. Here are some details Mariam Sughayer shared with MTV Multiplayer Blog.

Up to 5 Computers Authorized

This new patch expected to release sometime in the near future, will allow 5 computers authorized to play concurrently. When one computer uninstalls the game, you will be able to deauthorize access to that computer, freeing up one installation attempt.  With this new method, users will no longer be forced to hit the activation cap that was set in place since the beginning.

Goodbye DRM?

EA shows off its compassionate side by saying they might release a patch down the road that will completely make DRM “null and void.” Don’t expect this patch anytime soon, its more likely to occur many many years from now when everyone else is awaiting Spore 3.

User Reactions

As we wait until the final details of this patch to come forth, users are still not pleased deeming this is “not enough.” Concerns stem from SecuRom’s ability to cripple DVD hardware and burning software. Another concern includes the pirated version as the most ideal to play since it has been wiped clean from SecuRom and can be installed on an unlimited amount of computers.

Further Questions

Feedback from various online forums and websites have brought up several questions that need to be answered by EA.

What would happen if a user uninstalls the game but the deauthorization attempt has failed?

In order to keep this as fool-proof as possible, EA would have to create a new program that can detect whether Spore is installed or uninstalled on the system. Since really, if a user uninstalls the game while they are currently offline for whatever reason, they will have no way of contacting EA’s servers about this change.

Though this previous situation is hypothetical, a more common occurrence is where users will reinstall their operating system because of unforeseen circumstances.  EA has to be able to deauthorize a computer that has no traces of this game within the registry.

Will this patch apply to hardware changes?

If the patch authorizes 5 computers to play the game, hardware changes should not use up an activation attempt. We do hope this new patch will deauthorize a computer once they detect hardware changes and reauthorize after it notifies EA.