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Mandvadin's avatar
Mandvadin
Newcomer
1 month ago

I need help resolving an error with legacy Spore CD keys

I need help resolving an error with legacy Spore CD keys.

**My situation:**

I own a physical copy of Spore Galactic Edition (2008) — the collector's edition that includes the base game only. I have:

- The original physical box (ISBN 0-7845-466C-0)

- The CD key printed on the manual 

- An active spore.com account (Mandvadin) registered September 7, 2008, showing Games Owned icons for both Spore base game AND Galactic Adventures

- Gameplay achievements dating back to September 2008 — a full year before Galactic Adventures even released (June 2009)

**The problem:**

When I entered my CD key into the EA App, it was registered as SPORE Galactic Adventures (an add-on that didn't exist when this key was printed). The EA App now shows I own the add-on but NOT the base game, making it unplayable.

Two EA support agents both told me to 'contact the retailer' — for an 18-year-old purchase. That is not a viable solution.

**Why this is clearly an EA-side error:**

The Spore Galactic Edition was released in 2008. Galactic Adventures wasn't released until June 2009. It is impossible for this physical key to have been intended for Galactic Adventures. Legacy Spore Galactic Edition keys appear to have been incorrectly mapped to the Galactic Adventures DLC in EA's database.

My spore.com profile proves I am a legitimate, long-standing owner of this game. I am simply asking for the base game (Spore) to be added to my EA account, which it already effectively shows on the official Spore registration site.

Can a community manager or someone with account escalation access please help resolve this? I'm happy to provide any additional documentation.

pc
spore

2 Replies

  • MeowingOcelot's avatar
    MeowingOcelot
    Newcomer
    1 month ago

    On the flip side, I just bought the game on GoG today AND CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME FIGURE OUT HOW THE HECK TO REGISTER THIS STUPID THING.

    EA's support page has this AI bot that doesn't seem know Spore exists at all, and its going around in circles. I'm not sure how you even got to talk to an agent to begin with.

  • f536fbd49556182c's avatar
    f536fbd49556182c
    Seasoned Newcomer
    1 month ago

    I'm in almost the same situation. I bought the game at launch, and the last time I installed it was back in 2013. Last year I decided to revisit it for nostalgia's sake, but the game won't activate - neither through the in-game system nor through the EA App. At first, support asked me for the purchase receipt, then they supposedly forwarded my case to Maxis internal team so they could unlink some old account that doesn't even exist. After that, they just told me there was nothing they could do except suggest that I buy a new copy. I'm pretty sure the problem is their ridiculous DRM with its limited number of activations. The manual literally says that in cases like this, you're supposed to contact support so they can reactivate the key or replace it. Back in 2015, people actually got replacement keys - now they just tell you to get lost.

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