Spore: One account per game, but multiple names per account?

As you are doubtlessly aware by now, Spore has been at the center of a lot of controversy thanks to EA’s punishing DRM. While the install limit may not be that big a deal for those wanting to keep the game, the issue of allowing only one account per copy was an incredibly transparent and backwards move.

While EA is clearly not going to back down on this policy (after all, the game could be resold if it wasn’t rendered useless upon install,) it has allowed Maxis to implement a workaround. A new feature will be added in that allows multiple screen names per online account, although the number of accounts you can create remains at one. 

We are going to add the ability to have multiple Spore Screen Names for any one Spore Online Account. Here’s how this will work: for each copy of Spore that you have purchased, you will be able to have one Spore Online Account, just as it is now. However, we will be adding the ability to have five Spore Screen Names for that account. When you launch Spore, you will be able to log in with any of those Screen Names.

The content that is made and the MySpore Page will be associated with the logged in Screen Name for that account. Each Screen Name will be able to view and create content, Buddy Lists and Sporecasts that will be tied to that Screen Name. The Achievements earned will be credited to the Screen Name that is logged in at the time the Achievement is triggered. In the first iteration of this change, all Screen Names will be playing in the same Galaxy and any content downloaded by any Screen Name will be available in the Everything section.

We will be putting the ability to add Screen Names to a Spore Online Account on our website. If you already have the game, and want to add new Screen Names to your account you will be able to do so there. 

So there you go. Electronic Arts still gets to enforce control over Spore‘s second-hand sales, and a household with more than one person in it can enjoy the thing, albeit awkwardly and in a way that won’t allow them to earn separate achievements without a full game patch, which doesn’t yet exist. Hooray for compromise?