Breaking news for Spore fans! We’ve been wondering what Maxis has been working on for some time now. For the most part, we have assumed it to be Spore Creature Keeper, a game aimed at the younger audience which mixes elements of Spore and The Sims. However, EA filed 3 new trademarks (trademark 1, trademark 2 and trademark 3) for the name ‘DarkSpore‘ earlier this week, indicating that this may be the next game in the Spore franchise.

All we can do now is give assumptions and guesses. Could this be a new spinoff? The sequel to Spore? Will it be the coined ’scientific’ version of Spore that we saw during 2005? Who knows, it could be anything at this point! EA won’t give anything away at this moment, but we’re hoping to hear more as they may make a mention during their financial report on May 11th.

Keep tuned to SporePrograms for any Spore development as I’m on this like a fat kid on cake. And I speak for experience about that.

Source: CVG

The Christmas Donkey:


They're the butt of all jokes (literally) but the donkey is truly a miraculous creature and one that helped carry Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of our savior, Jesus. This is a tribute to that long-eared companion.



http://www.spore.com/sporepedia#qry=sast-500499009539

SPORE FRANCHISE EVOLVES TO NINTENDO PLATFORMS
Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena Immerse Players into All-New Worlds of Action and Adventure

Guildford, UK – 12th May 2009 – The Spore™ franchise continues to evolve as Maxis™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, today revealed details about Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena – two games built from the ground up exclusively for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ platforms. Building on the franchise’s core tenets of creativity, exploration and adventure, Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena will immerse Nintendo fans into all-new experiences when the games launch this year.

Spore Hero delivers the unmatched creative freedom of Spore in an accessible, story-driven action-adventure made exclusively for the Wii. Set in a rich and vibrant 3D world, Spore Hero empowers players to create their own Hero as they embark on an epic quest to save their new home world from destruction as a dark force threatens the planet. Taking full advantage of the Wii controls, Spore Hero engages players in heated battles, humorous missions, curious puzzles and more. Throughout the game, players will collect more than 250 parts with unique abilities and experience the unparalleled customisation of the revolutionary Spore Creature Creator enhanced for the Wii

Building on the success of Spore Creatures for Nintendo DS, Spore Hero Arena catapults Nintendo DS players into a 3D galaxy filled with fun, intense arena-based combat. Players create a unique gladiator Hero creature and guide it from planet to planet as they fight dangerous enemy creatures and complete special missions, collecting new parts and abilities, gaining upgrades along the way. In the quest for combat, they’ll seek out to defeat each local champion and unlock special abilities that will benefit their Hero. By combining special abilities, parts, and upgrades, players create a fighting style of their own in hopes to stop an evil force and save the galaxy. Spore Hero Arena will also feature multiplayer capabilities as players can battle with up to three friends locally or play with a friend over Wi-Fi.

“When Maxis first considered bringing Spore to console players, the Nintendo platforms jumped out as a perfect fit. Whether it is the stylus-driven action of the Nintendo DS or playful controllers of the Wii, the massive Nintendo audience is the ideal home for Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena,” said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. “Nintendo fans will love the humor, ability to create their own Hero, fun gameplay and immerse story-lines we’re creating for these two games.”

Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena will be available in 2009.

About Spore
Spore, available for PC and Mac®, gives players their own personal universe in a box. Create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds and explore a universe filled with creations made by other gamers. Spore gives players a wealth of creative tools to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even spaceships. Spore Creatures, available on Nintendo DS™, takes players on a quest to save their species and the entire Galaxy. Meet, befriend or fight other creatures in a number of unique Touch Screen-based activities. Spore Galactic Adventures, available 26th June 2009 is a highly-customizable expansion pack for Spore, adding a tremendous amount of variety and fun to the Space game. Players can beam down to planets for the first time ever, play Maxis-created Adventures and easily create customized missions.

To learn more about Spore, Spore Galactic Adventures, Spore Hero, Spore Hero Arena or to download a free trial of the Spore Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com. For screenshots or press materials about Spore, please visit our press web site at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

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About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS Freestyle TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.eagames.co.uk. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.