EA is releasing a separate
SKU for a creature-editor edition of
Spore even earlier than its
September 7 game launch. The company confirmed with us that the stand-alone product will let players begin creating crazy creatures, although it won't include other components of
Spore's Creature Phase. Those creatures will then be able to be used in the full version of
Spore.
EA didn't give any more specific details about when the creature-editor-only
Spore will be released and its cost. Here's hoping it's a free download available, umm, yesterday. There's time travel in
Spore, right?

Check out all our
extensive coverage of Will Wright's
Spore, including impressions of the PC, Mac, DS, and Mobile releases; the teaser trailer; some pics of Will Wright's office; and more!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rickmann71 @ Feb 13th 2008 3:36AM
Yeah, it's called a pad of paper and a pencil...
BananaBoat @ Feb 13th 2008 7:29AM
Oddly enough, this is the type of thing that comes with "adult" 3D games from Japan. You can design the "girls" before the game comes out, and then transfer them into the game when it does. The difference?
IT WAS FREE. FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Boooooo EA. Boooooooo
Onomah @ Feb 13th 2008 3:38AM
I'm letting my guard down
I have been disapointed before
Had my heart broken
My soul, crushed.
But now, now I think that I am ready to love again
If this is delayed just once it will destroy me
krypet007 @ Apr 2nd 2008 12:22PM
fine, and I am acutely gonna go crazy if I don't get spore or the editor before 2009!!!
spence @ Feb 13th 2008 3:47AM
Did I accidentally go to spore.joystiq.com?
BigD145 @ Feb 13th 2008 3:49AM
I won't even touch this. I want at least a little natural selection in my Spore and that can't happen without a planet to play in.
E.J. @ Feb 13th 2008 4:10AM
Milking an as-of-yet-released franchise? EA has gone to a new level.
bnpederson @ Feb 13th 2008 6:06AM
If it's free I'll probably muck about with it. If it costs though? Screw that, I'm not going to pay them to work on their freaking game.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 13th 2008 9:41AM
I'm guessing you don't have any idea what spore is about, do you?
bnpederson @ Feb 13th 2008 5:29PM
I'm aware of what it is, but the game part is more than the creature creator, it's the natural selection aspect, building your creature up through a series of games, getting the creature a society, et cetera. Just creating the creature? EA is doing that to A) build up hype B) (possibly) make some money in the meantime, and C) have a large selection of pre-created beasties to populate the worlds of the first new players, since all creatures are supposedly player created. So rather than make some interns work on creatures they're tossing out this application and hoping the masses do it for them. Fine, I'm cool with that and it could be fun to muck about with. But, like I said, I'm not paying them good money to populate their game worlds.
generic @ Feb 13th 2008 7:06AM
I hope for their sake that the creature-only version is free, and is only released online. I'd hate to see this game get the same attention and confusion that System Shock did after releasing two tier product.
Even Warren Spector blamed the original rushed release for poor sales. People just aren't willing to buy a game twice.
Dan @ Feb 13th 2008 7:17AM
I'd rather they spent the time they'll waste on getting this ready on making the main game better/finished sooner.
Poisoned Al @ Feb 13th 2008 8:11AM
I won't buy this for the same reasons Gran Turismo Prologue can go fuck itself.
Blazur @ Feb 13th 2008 8:25AM
It would be to their benefit to make this pre-release free, sort of as a demo. It will not only showcase the strength of the game, but entice users to purchase the full version to get their work of art integrated into the environment.
If this costs money I'd just assume wait until 12am Sept 7th.
Jetamo @ Feb 13th 2008 8:26AM
Maxis/Will Wright has done this before. Didn't he release the Sims 2 Bodyshop before the release of Sims 2?
linex7 @ Feb 13th 2008 8:59AM
I was thinking exactly the same thing.
Spiza @ Feb 13th 2008 9:14AM
Would make a nice preorder bonus.
booticon @ Feb 13th 2008 9:40AM
Hey guys, according to the Wired article, it's going to be for free.
http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/multimedia/2008/02/gallery_spore?slide=4&slideView=4
Crash @ Feb 13th 2008 10:59AM
I wouldn't be surprised if EA charged for it, but it would be a monumentally stupid mistake. I suspect what they intend to do with this creator is build up a database of user-created creatures. Half of the stuff Will Wright keeps pushing in his presentations is how almost all of the creatures/buildings that you don't create yourself come from other users, so this would be a excellent way to seed these databases before the game is released.
JangoGod @ Feb 13th 2008 1:47PM
I like everything about the game. I just hope that this doesn't make people think that evolution is fact. (Even though this game makes evolution a little bit more funny lol)
Someday, people are going to be calling us morons for us thinking we evolved from monkeys...
Chyld989 @ Feb 13th 2008 2:09PM
Nobody (smart) thinks we evolved from monkeys. What they're saying is that we evolved from a common ancestor as monkeys. Completely different.
On topic, I would love this as a free download, but more likely it'll be a disc you get when you preorder, or something along those lines.
JangoGod @ Feb 13th 2008 2:27PM
Anyone that says evolution is a fact is on crack. Its still a [stupid] theory people.
But since when have video games been realistic? Spore is going to be awesome and I hope that they make this a pre-order disc or a free download. I want to make a rat-like-cute thing.
Saerain @ Feb 14th 2008 8:32AM
1. Spore's creatures don't evolve. They assimilate. They gather a repertoire of parts by taking them from other creatures or just finding them laying about.
2. In Spore, the player takes the role of an intelligent designer. People like you should be happy.
3. We didn't evolve from monkeys. They are evolutionary cousins, not parents. If you want to argue against evolution, at least get a grasp of what human evolution entails.
4. Your theory/fact terminology is confused. A fact is an objective observation. A theory is an explanation of that fact. That life evolves is a fact. The explanation as to how this occurs is a theory. I hope that helps you.
Gamer_001 @ Feb 13th 2008 3:28PM
its prolly going to be the same thing that Sims 2 did with Sims 2 Body shop that was released before Sims 2 as a free download. And you could make your sim prior to the game release and import it in after.
PhrawzT @ Feb 13th 2008 4:49PM
Ooooo! I can't wait. I would prefer this be a free download, but I would be willing to shell out $5 to preorder the game and get this as a demo.
PhrawzT @ Feb 13th 2008 4:51PM
"Anyone that says evolution is a fact is on crack. Its still a [stupid] theory people."
You do know that gravity is still a theory, right? Even so, it is something you can see and has a long history of observation to back it up.
merc25 @ Feb 13th 2008 5:59PM
Actually, gravity is a law.
JerJer @ Feb 14th 2008 1:42AM
one which constantly thwarts me in fact!!
Saerain @ Feb 14th 2008 8:36AM
No, a force has laws, but a force can't be a law. The Theory of Gravity, like the Theory of Evolution, is a theory which describes a fact.
JangoGod @ Feb 14th 2008 3:11PM
To bad evolution doesn't have anything to back it up. It just assumes everything. It has no real "proof" Just a ton of made-up-stuff that have been proven wrong.
The rapid-decay theory is a good way to see why evolution is wrong. Look it up. Its way better than the theory (I forget the name) that evolutionists use.
Big question: How does nothing turn into something? If everything "started" with a "Big Bang" then where did the "Big Bang" come from? To many holes
booticon @ Feb 14th 2008 10:19PM
Jango. Learn a bit about the Big Bang theory before you open your fuckin' mouth.
PhrawzT @ Feb 15th 2008 12:48PM
You don't understand science, do you Jango?
Neil @ Feb 13th 2008 6:55PM
Joystiq, surely this is a rare occasion where the European release date should be used as the "launch date" because September 5th is the first date which the game is available. It "launches" first in Europe. Sure, I know you're probably not used to this and neither am I but it's a little unfair listing September 7th as the launch date when the game will have been on store shelves for two days by that time.
Aku @ Feb 18th 2008 3:24AM
WOAH O:
Seriously!? Give actual source :DD
SeniorGato @ Feb 18th 2008 9:31AM
You know, I love free... But for Spore, I'd pay up to $20, just to make creatures right now. I know, stupid, irrational... But whatever.
Lindsey @ Feb 19th 2008 4:55PM
w00t
Lindsey @ Feb 19th 2008 4:55PM
w00t
CD41 @ Mar 19th 2008 4:51PM
Saerain is totally right and JangoGod is a baffuler of science on how he/she managed to graduate with out a G.E.D. and as i've told many ppl EVOLUTION IS THE THEORY THAT HUMANS(HOMO-ERECTUS(THE FIRST HUMANIOD TO WALK ON 2S))ARE EVOLUTIONLY RELATED TO MONKEYS FROM COMMON ANCESTORS ANDIS YOU'D WATCH SOME HISTORY HCNANEL THEN YOU'S KNOW THAT IN FACT YOU'D KNOW THAT WILL WRIGHTS WHOLE WAY OF INTRODUCING LIFE ON PLANETS IS WHAT HALF THE WORLD BELIVES AND THAT I LIKE CAPS!!!!!!!
Drum35 @ Mar 23rd 2008 9:09PM
I Quote "To bad evolution doesn't have anything to back it up. It just assumes everything. It has no real "proof".
Umm either dose religon but your defending it
Loztein @ May 5th 2008 2:50AM
Drum35 I have yet to see Jango defend religion, merely attempt (albeit crudely) to point out some, as he/she sees it, unnaccounted for flaws in the theory of evolution and point people in the direction of the "Rapid-Decay" theory instead. Personally I find the debate misplaced here and will not voice my awkward opinions on the manner, especially since I don't even see it as one the way it is commonly presented.
Anywho now to quote the Spore Homepage for some clarification on a previously mentioned matter. "The free demo version of the Spore Creature Creator will be available worldwide via download from www.spore.com. The demo lets players shape, paint and play with an unlimited number of creatures, using 25 percent of the creature-making parts from Spore. Gamers can then share these creations with their friends, including seamless uploads to YouTube. The demo will also be included in the The SimCity™ Box, which ships on June 23.
A complete retail version of the Spore Creature Creator will also be available in North America for $9.99 and most European territories for €9.99, which gives players access to all the creature-making parts in the game."
I bid thee all good day.