BioWare producer Derek French recently caused an uproar after announcing that copy protection on the PC editions of Mass Effect and Spore would require online validation every 10 days in order for the games to continue functioning.

In the face of increasing pressure, BioWare and publisher Electronic Arts today relented, updating the official Mass Effect PC FAQ to note that validation will now only be required when the player downloads new game content.

Q: If the game isn't going to require an authentication every 10 days, will it ever require re-authentication?

A: Only if the player chooses to download new game content.

Electronic Arts also released a statement mentioning that Spore's copy protection will be similarly changed to allow for offline play, only requiring validation on a patch or game content update.

The publisher further noted that the protection will still only allow users to authenticate each game on up to three computers. Approval of further authorizations... Read more

Update: Electronic Arts has relented to the pressure.

Original story: BioWare technical producer Derek French has said that the PC versions of both Mass Effect and Spore will make use of copy protection that will require online validation every ten days in order for the games to continue working.

"After the first activation, SecuROM requires that [Mass Effect PC] re-check with the server within ten days (in case the CD Key has become public/warez'd and gets banned)," said French in a post on the BioWare forums.

If customers do not come online after ten days, the game will cease to function.

"After 10 days a re-check is required before the game can run," added French. "..An internet connection is not required to install, just to activate the first time, and every 10 days after."

The check is run when users activate the game's executable file, with the first re-check coming within "5 days remaining in the 10 day window."

According to French, Maxis' Spore will also make use of the same scheme: "[Electronic Arts] is ready for us and getting ready for Spore, which will use the same system."

French also noted that the online requirement will be clearly labeled on the games' packaging.

While the full version of evolution simulator Spore isn't slated to arrive until September 7, developer Maxis and studio owner Electronic Arts have announced that the game's creature creation toolset will be available to PC owners worldwide beginning June 17.

On that day, a demo version of the Creature Creator, containing 25% of the title's total creature parts, will be released as a free download. That demo will also be packed within the upcoming SimCity Box (PC) compilation.

Those seeking access to the whole of the game's creature-making parts before its September debut will need to hunt down the retail version of the Spore Creature Creator, which will sell for $9.99 in North America and 9.99 EUR in most European territories.

Both versions of the Creature Creator will allow wannabe Dr. Frankensteins will to import their virtual lifeforms into the full game as well as upload videos of their creations onto YouTube.

Maxis marketing VP Patrick Buechner said that a trial version of the creature creator in the company's upcoming life sim Spore will hit PCs this June, IGN reports.

The Creator Creator will allow gamers to get a head start in crafting the unique alien species for use in the title, which is currently slated for a September release. The trial will be functionally identical to the creator found in the full game.

Containing around 25% of the total creature parts from Spore, the trial will be be available for free via download from the game's official website, as well as a pack-in bonus in the upcoming SimCity Box compilation.

A version will also be available on retail shelves around the same time, which is said to include every creature part from the full title. A price for the retail version of the Spore Creature Creator was not immediately available.

Ports of Sega's Super Monkey Ball and Maxis' hugely anticipated life-sim Spore are in development for Apple's iPhone, Gizmodo reports.

The news dropped during a conference at Apple's headquarters in which the company detailed the release of the iPhone software developer's kit. Speaking on the possibility of game development on the platform, Apple revealed that versions of Spore and Super Monkey Ball are already in the works.

The titles both showcase the use of the iPhone's 3D capabilities, and utilize the phone's multitouch screen and built-in accelerometers. Apple also pointed out that the iPhone port of Spore is not a scaled-down affair; all 18 levels, from the microbic to cosmic, are represented in Spore's iPhone incarnation.

No price point or release date was mentioned, but Apple stated that all upcoming applications and games in development for the iPhone will be available exclusively on the newly-launched App Store, accessible via iTunes, the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

GamersGlobal and bit-tech.net both have Spore previews posted, going hands-on with PC and DS versions of the game.

With the release date announced, IGN has a new Spore Q&A with Maxis' Lucy Bradshaw and Morgan Roarty. Topics include the release date, the simultaneous PC/DS release, Wii plans and more.

Electronic Arts is unsurprisingly planning future iterations for many of the hit franchises it publishes, including EA Black Box's Need for Speed, Criterion's Burnout, EA Black Box's Skate, and Harmonix's Rock Band.

EA president Frank Gibeau discussed the plans in an analyst meeting today, listing them as part of the company's "turn-around" strategy, which is focused on "a strong pipeline of innovative sequels and new IP" and increased digital revenue through titles such as Mythic's Warhammer Online and EA DICE's Battlefield Heroes.

As for the new IP, the president highlighted the company's plans to publish EA Los Angeles' Tiberium, BioWare's Dragon Age, DICE's Mirror's Edge, Pandemic's Saboteur, Valve's Left 4 Dead, and EA Redwood Shores' Dead Space.

Gibeau also mentioned the company's plans for EA Maxis' just-dated Spore (PC, NDS), detailing that efforts to bring the evolutionary simulator to more platforms and produce expansion content are already underway. The studio is known to be working on a Wii edition of the game.

Maxis has dropped some new information on the ancillary versions of its upcoming PC title Spore, with details of the Nintendo DS, Wii, and mobile versions leaking in a series of interviews with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal.

Spore Creatures for the Nintendo DS will predictably focus on the creature phase established in the PC edition, with users evolving their customized characters, defeating enemies, and "exploring the galaxy on a quest to find new evolutionary paths and save their home world."

"We even decided to go with a custom look for Spore Creatures so the content is entirely unique to the DS," said Maxis producer Lucy Bradshaw. "Our artistic inspiration came from Japanese flat rod puppets and shadow box art."

In addition to the standard creature-based gameplay, Nintendo DS players... Read more

Ending years of speculation, EA Maxis has announced that its long, long, long-awaited evolution simulator Spore will hit PC, Nintendo DS, and Mac on September 7, 2008. No mention was made of the upcoming Wii edition.

Lead designer Will Wright, the renowned visionary behind the long-running Sims franchise, had previously stated the game was on track for a spring 2008 release, though EA would only confirm that the game would hit "before holidays" in a recent conference call.

"The wait is almost over," said Wright. "We're in our final stages of testing and polish with Spore, and the team at Maxis can't wait to see the cosmos of content created by the community later this year."

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Despite its ongoing delays, Electronic Arts brass is still confident in Will Wright's ambitious evolution simulator Spore.

Despite a recent analyst projection that Spore will not be released until the coming fall or winter months, EA declined to give a specific release time frame for the title during today's analyst and press financial conference call.

The company did, however, state that the game will be released this year. "We're not announcing dates for any of our titles. We will tell you it's gonna be before the holidays," said EA CEO John Riccitiello in the call, which is ongoing at time of writing. "We're very, very bullish."

Riccitiello believes Spore will be what EA calls a "breakaway title." This comes after the company lamented its lack of internally-developed breakaway titles last year.

"I've personally played the software and it is very impressive," said Riccitiello today.

Janco analyst Mike Hickey has some bad news for those anticipating Will Wright's next ambitious title.

"We now expect [Spore in the second half of 2008], versus management guidance for March/April," said Hickey to Gamasutra. The prediction comes as an explanation of recent disappointing Electronic Arts share performance.

Publisher Electronic Arts had previously expressed a firm release period of spring 2008 for the game, which will allow players to create a lifeform and follow it from the single-cell level to an advanced stage of starship travel.

"We have the game fully playable at this point and it's in final testing," said developer Wright in October.

Potential news of a delay would be announced this Thursday during Electronic Arts' conference call.

On Episode 15 of the ShackCast, Steve Gibson, Chris Remo, Nick Breckon, and Chris Faylor discuss an astounding variety of topics.

These subjects include Spore, Eye of Judgment (PS3), Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3), the rumored new Star Wars MMO, Samba de Amigo Wii, Soldier of Fortune 3, Hellgate: London, Jade Raymond at the grocery story, and more. We also branch out into the realm of visuals this week, supplying you, our gentle listener, with visual aides for the Impossible Creatures segment.

Unfortunately, in our rush to bring you the latest in Shack auditory entertainment, we neglected to sketch out the traditional timestamped breakdown. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Photo: Kotaku

If you have questions or comments about video games, the Shack, or the ShackCast, be sure to send an email to shackcast@shacknews.com!

Play or download the podcast now, or snag it through iTunes, RSS, or Digg. Feel free to venture into our immense backlog as well.

A Wii edition of Maxis' heralded evolution simulator Spore has been confirmed by designer Will Wright, who is responsible for both Spore and the massively successful Sims series.

"We're doing Spore on the Wii," Wright mentioned offhandedly in a talk with Guardian Unlimited. A Wii version has long been speculated since Wright declared last year that Spore would arrive "on all platforms," though it was never specifically confirmed until now.

Earlier this week, the renowned designer claimed that the PC version of Spore was "roughly" six months away. A Nintendo DS edition is said to be in development, with a PSP iteration rumored as well, though no information has surfaced on either project in some time.

Wright also noted his belief that the Wii is the only true "next generation" console on the market. "The PS3 and the Xbox 360 feel like better versions of... Read more

Spore, Maxis' upcoming PC evolution simulator, is in final testing and should release in "roughly" six months, designer Will Wright revealed in a recent Radio 5 Live interview.

"We have the game fully playable at this point and it's in final testing," said Wright, reports CVG. "We've had to do a lot of testing to make sure that the game is accessible by a wide group of people."

Originally slated for a 2007 release, Spore was delayed until 2008 earlier this year. Publisher Electronic Arts later spoke on the matter, saying that it expected the title to ship in the spring.

"Right now it's sort of squarely targeted of March-April-May of next ... Read more

This week, Chris Remo, Chris Faylor, and Nick Breckon discuss Warhawk on PS3, Spore, Jeanne D'Arc on PSP, Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix on Xbox Live Arcade, BioShock's copy protection on PC, and EA and Ubisoft's recently-released free full games and the ads that come along with some of them.

Plus, for some reason, we have a convoluted puzzle game discussion including such titles as Planet Puzzle League, Zuma, Tetris 2, and Spider Solitaire! We don't know why!

From now on, send comments or questions to shackcast@shacknews.com. If you have something interesting to say or ask, we'll highlight it on the next show!

Play or download the podcast now, browse the episodes through iTunes, RSS, or Digg, or check out the full breakdown. ... Read more

Electronic Arts sends along 12 new screenshots of Will Wright's evolutionary life simulator, detailing the game's progression from tiny cell-sized organisms to tool-wielding civilizations. Spore is currently expected to arrive on PC in spring 2008.

1UP, GameSpot and GameSpy all have Spore previews, going hands-on with the new Will Wright game at the Leipzig Games Convention.

During an earnings call, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello expressed optimism in his company's future, despite a comparative decrease in revenue over its first quarter and a tough slate of upcoming competition.

EA's first-quarter revenue and profits were down 4% and 7% year-over-year, respectively standing at $395 and $229 million. The publisher chalked up the relative decline to its new policy of hosting games with online-enabled features for free, which deffered some $36 million in revenue.

Looking forward, Riccitiello etched a silver lining around strong future titles from publishers like Microsoft's Halo 3 (X360) and Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360), saying: "I think it's a double positive, for us and for the industry. Great software sells hardware.

"We were a little careful of the dates we selected to put our... Read more

IGN has a Spore update, asking EA's Patrick Buechner for the latest on the game. Article comes with new media.