Spore Fan Community Petition

UPDATE: Spore is on the way! Thank you all for participating in this community message to Maxis and EA.

(The following has now been satisfied.)

In brief: We fans of Spore, so undersigned, petition Will Wright, Maxis, and EA for more frequent and informative updates on the development of the game in order to alleviate the disheartening effects of sporadic release delay announcements. In other words, we’re tired of getting hit with bad news from seemingly nowhere.

Spore is one of the most ambitious games in development and already has a large following of eager fans. News of the game was first made public in March of 2005 by creator Will Wright. Since that time a number of articles have been written in various publications and a few demonstrations of the game’s progress have been made available online via short video clips.

On the 8th of May 2007 EA CEO John Riccitiello announced the delay of Spore’s release placing it in Q4 of fiscal 2008 or early fiscal 2009. This followed a protracted period of no news on Spore wherein the latest word on release was from Will Wright himself placing it in late 2007. That in turn had followed a series of announced delays from the original projected release date of mid 2006.

As we stand now looking at nearly a year before the game’s release (perhaps longer), the community of Spore fans feels strained, frustrated, and some are just plain angry. While many have publicly stated they “give up” on waiting for the game, others are poised to remain eager and active in their following. This petition among the fans of Spore is for the following:

We fans of Spore, so undersigned, request from Will Wright, Maxis, and EA more frequent and open communication between the creators of Spore and fans of the game. We fans recognize that each step in the game’s progress may not be suitable for public disclosure, however, a simple “hi folks, things are going well” from the creators a few times a month would do much to sustain our enthusiasm. We fans suggest the creators designate an official public relations representative with whom the fans can communicate directly. We fans also wish to convey our genuine displeasure resulting from these series of release date delays.

This petition is NOT for any of the following:

- An earlier release of the game which would result in an “unfinished” product. We want the creators to deliver the best game they can.

- A playable demonstration version of the game or one of its editor modes available for all fans. We wish to note, however, that this would go a long way to keeping our interest in Spore strong.

Without more frequent and open communications, the creators of Spore should expect increased ill-will and discontent from the game’s fans. While marketing research may show that “they’re gonna buy the game anyways”, we fans hope that this is not the attitude of Spore’s creators and that they desire an amicable relationship with fans.

The community of Spore fans is looking forward to the response from Will Wright, Maxis, and EA. While we have high expectations, we also have a high degree of respect for their work and their integrity.

Please sign this electronic petition if you are a Spore fan and agree with the above statements. If you are not familiar with the game Spore, please visit the official website www.spore.com.

Forward to Spore!