Steam users unable to create Spore account or redeem game on Origin
FINAL UPDATE (End of 2025): This post has not been updated in a very long time and the information below is outdated. Please see the official Spore discord for the latest accurate information from EA. https://discord.gg/sporeofficial --- Recently, EA has made a change to how some of their games are distributed on Steam, which has a major impact to Spore on Steam. I am creating this topic on behalf of other users who are experiencing this problem (there have been numerous people asking on this forum, as well as on other community-run sites), as well as serving as a PSA, and a central place to track this issue. I am SporeMaster Kyle, who wrote the "Getting Started with Spore" guide in this forum, and I will be referencing that guide here. --- Background info Spore requires a serial code (CD key) linked to an EA/Origin Account in order to create a Spore persona and connect to the servers. This serves as a form of DRM, ensuring that only paying customers can access the servers. Additionally, this also allows the game to be downloaded via Origin. This process previously worked for all EA games available on Steam. In the case of Spore, there is also a large modding community (as with many Maxis games), and Steam is known to have DRM that interferes with many mods, so many players do choose to uninstall the Steam version of the game and use the Origin version instead, so that they may use mods. This process has been around for years, and is documented in the above linked guide under "Registering Spore on Origin". That section of the guide actually came straight from MaxisBazajaytee back on the Sporum. If the code is not redeemed on the EA account, players are unable to follow the instructions to create a Spore persona/account, and therefore cannot use any online features of the game. Additionally, the game will not appear in the user's Origin library, so they are unable to download it from there, and thus cannot use many mods. --- The problem Recently, EA has removed game serial codes (CD keys) from Steam, due to concerns of an exploit that lets people claim the key, and then refund the game or cancel the subscription used to download the game (note that Spore is available in an EA Play subscription on Steam). This applies to all EA games available in an EA Play subscription on Steam, though note that this issue also affects people who have outright purchased the game too. At this time, it does not appear to apply to the Spore expansions, as they are not part of EA Play. This means it is no longer possible to create a Spore account or redeem the game on Origin if you purchase Spore from Steam. As a result, you cannot use online features in Spore, or use many mods. The Spore community is not sure if, or when, this issue will be fixed. Therefore, at this time, we are not recommending that you purchase Spore from Steam. Please purchase from Origin or GOG instead. If you know someone who is planning to buy the game, please let them know about this. If you have already unlocked your Steam CD key on Origin and already have a Spore account, this change does not affect you. --- If you are a Spore player who is affected by this issue, please use the "Me too" and "+ XP" buttons below to help bring EA's attention to this issue. If you have purchased Spore on Steam and are now unable to redeem the code in Origin (and therefore unable to create a Spore account), you may be able to contact EA Origin Support to have them give you a new code and add it to your account manually. This is not guaranteed, but if you've already bought the game on Steam it may be worth trying. Be sure to have your proof of purchase (receipt and email) ready. --- The modding community is particularly concerned about this. Asnoted above, the Steam version of the game has DRM that is not compatible with many popular mods for Spore. While mods are obviously not officially supported by EA/Maxis, they are still an important part of the game for many players - as is the case for many other Maxis games, like SimCity and The Sims. For years, the modding community has encouraged players to download the game from Origin or GOG, and Steam users have been able to access and download Spore in their Origin library at no additional cost. This has been the case for more than ten years, dating back to when Origin was called EADM, and has always been officially supported, so to see this option suddenly disappear has brought quite a shock to the community. --- To EA - we need a solution This problem appears to have been an oversight when the exploit was blocked. As it has detrimental impacts on Spore, we would like to see it fixed. I am not sure if it is possible to retroactively revoke serial codes that have already been issued, though it appears it is not, hence this "solution" was implemented where no one gets codes at all. I don't really consider this to be a solution, because legitimate paying customers are no longer getting the serial code (CD key) which serves as proof of purchase, and provides access to the servers. If it is not possible to revoke already-issued codes, there needs to be a way for paying customers (i.e. those who have purchased the game outright, and not as a subscription) to obtain a serial code (CD key). This process needs to be easily available to all users purchasing from Steam. Additionally, those who download the game as part of a subscription (EA Play on Steam) should be warned that they will be unable to access online features for Spore, or download from Origin, unless they purchase the game outright. Until any other solution can be implemented, this warning should also appear to all customers purchasing from Steam (i.e. on the store listing) so they are aware of this issue before they purchase the game. I have created this topic with the intent that it can be used as a central place for EA to respond and track this issue. Thank you, and the Spore community hopes that this can be resolved soon.
Can't log in or register in spore
Hello! My game is from EA app. It is available in the library. When I start the game I cannot register or log in as it offers to register the game and then says "invalid login" (see screenshots). I have tried to contact support several times but they are extremely unwilling to help, merely copying chatgpt replies or giving wrong facts (such as that spore servers were shut down long ago). They also keep metioning steam, though I clearly explain every time that my game is from ea app library. Each attempt to communicate with them costed me 2-3 hours because of such behaviour... Also it was support who recommended me to seek for help in the forums
Please enable the option to toggle Spore's auto-share feature.
Spore's “Auto-Share” feature has long been notorious for its issues. Particularly vicious is the bug where creatures get flagged as shared but aren't actually shared, and campaign creatures get uploaded without permission, cluttering up Sporepedia. For these reasons, we should provide a way to disable the Auto-Share feature.Hola compre el dlc de spore galatic adventures en origin en vez de steam
Hola comunidad de EA tengo un pequeño problema lo que pasa es que compre el dlc de galatic adventure del juego Spore en EA app o también antes conocida como Origin pero aquí va el punto tengo el juego base comprado en steam y aquí esta la pregunta si descargo el dlc en origin y descargo el juego base en steam puedo jugar el dlc en steam? He escuchado de gracias a una nueva política si se puede pero no estoy seguro bueno que tengan un lindo dia [Moved to Other EA Games ES. Please review our guidelines regarding language posts - CM]
Proving ownership of games purchased via Steam
I have the issue described in the entry "Steam users unable to create Spore account or redeem game on Origin" For a week now, I have been communicating with EA support over it. Finally, I managed to get them, through a chat session, to understand the core of the problem, and to get them aware that the solution involving CD keys which they previously kept suggesting, was no longer viable. Their next approach was to guide me through proving my purchase of Spore in steam, via screenshots! Now I know that screenshots are being widely used as proofs for similar cases, which is absurd, in my opinion. More so when better means exist already. What matters in my case, however, is that support agents are instructed to follow a specific procedure, described in EA's help website, which requires two screenshots: one of the transaction history, and one of the confirmation email sent by Steam following the purchase. For my bad luck, I had deleted the email message few days after the purchase, and it was no longer available (not even in the trash) by the time we reached the point they required it. And even though Steam provides a means to view the purchase receipts on their website, there's no way to have it resent by email. The EA support agents, however, refuse to accept a screenshot of the webpage of the receipt from its source that has the receipt number in its URL, and insist on a screenshot of the email!! Just because it is what is described in their procedure. When I asked the agent to escalate the issue to someone who can look into it further, citing that Steam allows third parties to enumerate licenses of the games owned by a user to third parties, if the user chooses to make it public, and that many websites actually do use that, he rejected, and instead explained to me how "EA have servers that are not the same as Steam, so we cannot see the users' licenses at Steam"!! An answer that assumes customers, in this case gamers, to be ignorant, when in fact most gamers are more technically capable than the support persons I have talked to. Access to CD keys was disabled by Steam months ago because of the infamous exploit affecting EA games. Steam provides a means to prove ownership of the license on their platform. EA should create a tool that can use that API and avail it to their support agents, or EA should stop selling their games on Steam. The absurdity about the over-dependency on screenshots as means to prove anything and everything nowadays, is due to how trivial it is to forge them. Everyone should know this by now, especially the DRM spearheads, who are hopelessly trying to be a step ahead of the much smarter young population of the world, and who go to great lengths to protect their IP, up to the step of effectively reducing the market of their games, or even inadvertently introducing technical defects in them that make them unplayable by the people who purchase them. The forums of Steam, the largest social space of gamers known, are full of complaints and disgruntlement. Finally, the fixation on the transaction of acquiring the game's license excludes other lawful cases, such as having won the game in a giveaway, or having it donated or gifted from a friend, and other cases that cannot be established by a transaction of purchase as is currently expected. All of these cases, however, could be covered by just implementing a tool that utilizes the API which Steam makes available for this purpose. ______________ Double DRM is synergetic failure; a failure greater than the sum of its failing parts.
Unlink defunct EA account from Xbox
After several attempts to use EA customer support I am out of options. I know I am not the first person with this issue. It's been occurring for years with no resolution. Around 2010, I setup an EA account through my Xbox so I could play an EA game. I used my wife's email, from before we were married, we left most of the info fields blank because I didn't need the account for anything other than playing the game. 13 years later I want to play a EA game using my game pass for PC and EA Play access. I can not login. I can not access the defunct email. EA customer support tells me my information provided is incorrect. I just want to play video games. How can I unlink this defunct account without access? EA support says I can't verify its my account, then I want this account removed from the Xbox account I can prove ownership of. I never take time to comment or complain on the internet. This time I had to. Guess I just don't play anymore EA games.
Ownership of base game missing.
Hi, This is an account bug, not a game altering bug. I've been playing Spore since 2008, I made an EA account in 2008. I have also had the "Creepy & Cute Parts Pack" since it came out. Both physical copies. When Origin came out, I moved my account to origin. When Origin was shelved for the EA app, I moved it and my other purchases to the EA app. In the EA app, I still own the Creepy and Cute Parts Pack but not the base game. I still have my Spore user name in my account info. Side note: I have never changed my account icon. If an EA employee would be so kind as to reach out to me, I would be positively overjoyed for the opportunity to prove my ownership. I'm probably also going to buy the Galactic Adventures expansion pack ("Expansion Pack" showing my age) as soon as this is resolved. I have kept the original packages, I can do email, teams, zoom, please help.
