Spore was unfortunately an unholy mess when it first launched back in 2008. The game was supposed to be SimEverything (that was actually its original title), but ended up feeling restricted and unfinished. Several spinoffs were released, including Darkspore, which was a Diablo-style action-RPG version of Spore in which players created a hero and then traveled to different planets to fight enemies.
The game was launched in 2011, and despite being pulled from Steam, it continued to live on. However, Electronic Arts and Maxis have announced they are pulling the plug on the servers, effectively ending the game’s run.
”Today, we are announcing that we will be closing the doors on Darkspore, effective March 1st, 2016. It’s been a great run and we hope that you have enjoyed your time with Darkspore.” said an EA representative on the official forums. They then went on to promote EA Origin fairly aggressively: ”While it can be hard to say goodbye, keep in mind there are tons of awesome games available for free on Origin. Enjoy 48-hours of fun with Game Time titles such as The Sims 4 and Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare or download the latest Origin On the House release and add it to your library.”
GameWatcher reviewed Darkspore back in April 2011, and gave it a 6.5/10 score. The review noted that while ”nothing about the core gameplay elements is particularly bad,” the technology behind the game felt like it was being misapplied for a bland concept.
Still, thanks to the flexible and deep editor, players on the forums are mourning the shuttering of Darkspore and their meticulously created characters. One has to wonder if there will ever be a version of Spore that was promised at GDC 2005, as seen in the video below.
