Pick #18: Spore: Galactic Edition (PC) 2008
Nice choice. I haven't played it yet, and don't know if I will, due to the nasty DRM attached to the game. From wiki:
Spore uses a modified version of the controversial
[47][48][49][50] digital rights management (DRM) software
SecuROM as
copy prevention, which requires authentication upon installation and when online access is used.
[51] This system was announced after the originally planned system met opposition from the public, as it would have required authentication every ten days.
[52] Additionally, EA released the game under a policy by which the
product key of an individual copy of the game would only be authenticated on up to three computers.
[53] In response to customer complaints, this limit was raised to five computers.
[54] After the activation limit has been depleted, EA Customer Service will reset the activation count on a case-by-case basis.
[55]
As a result of the protection scheme, around 90% of the reviews on
Amazon.com, nearly 3000 individual reviews, have given
Spore one star, the lowest rating. Electronic Arts cited
SecuROM as a "standard for the industry", and Apple's
iPod song DRM policy as justification for the control method.
[56] Former Maxis developer Chris Harris labeled the DRM a "screw up" and a "totally avoidable disaster".
[57]
The
SecuROM software was not mentioned in the
Software license agreement versions of the game purchased online. An EA spokesperson stated that "we don't disclose specifically which copy protection or digital rights management system we use [...] because EA typically uses one license agreement for all of its downloadable games, and different EA downloadable games may use different copy protection and digital rights management.”
[58]
Despite the use of DRM, Spore has been
cracked, bypassing the copy protection mechanism. The game was illegally distributed over
BitTorrent file sharing protocol four days before its retail release, and has been downloaded over 500,000 times - and is now on its way to becoming the most online-shared game in history.
[59]
In response to reaction over Spore's DRM, Frank Gibeau, president of EA games, announced that maximum install limit would be increased from 3 to 5 and that it would be possible to de-authorize and move installations to new machines, citing the need to adapt their policy to accommodate their legitimate customers.
[60][61]
On
September 22,
2008, a global class action law suit was filed against EA, regarding the DRM in Spore, complaining about EA not disclosing the existence of SecuROM, and addressing how SecuROM runs with the nature of a
rootkit, including how it remains on the hard drive even after Spore is uninstalled.
[62][63][64]
