Telecommunications
giant AT&T has announced the delivery of exclusive content for Electronic
Arts? massively single-player online game (MSPOG) Spore to both its wireless
and broadband internet customers.
Designed by The Sims(TM)
creator Will Wright, Spore is a life simulation game in which the player must
supervise the evolution of a species from its origins as a unicellular organism
to its growing into an intelligent and social being, finally leading its
development as an elaborate spacefaring culture.
Whilst it is not social in
the sense of massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs), Spore
qualifies as a subsisting, online virtual world with a strong user-generated
dimension. It is interactive in the
sense that it enables players to create, share and rate their own playable
content (such as creatures, vehicles, buildings and UFOs) through a dedicated
peer-to-peer platform. In the final
phase of the game, players can visit each other?s planets and interact with each
other?s species.
The agreement between
AT&T and Electronic Arts covers three different offerings. Designed specifically for mobile phones, Spore
Origins can be downloaded to AT&T mobile devices until 4
September 2008. A Spore Giveaway Offer,
consisting in a free downloadable copy the PC version of the game, can be
accessed by AT&T High Speed Internet customers until 20 September. These same customers will also be able to
download an AT&T edition of the Spore Creature Creator Demo, which features
exclusive content.
AT&T executive director
of gaming Glenn Broderick views AT&T?s distribution of the game as a
landmark event, describing Spore as "nothing short of a cultural
phenomenon in the making, and we are thrilled that our relationship with EA
gives our customers unmatched access."
A study by Parks Associates
quoted in AT&T's press release announcing the agreement would seem to lend weight
to his enthusiasm, finding that online games draw an audience of roughly 150 million
people, 41 million of which play on wireless devices.
The official United States release of Spore for PC and Mac platforms is
scheduled for 7 September 2008, with Spore origins for the iPhone and other mobile carriers announced for 4 September.