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Spore, rated as the most anticipated game of the year, was played down by the DRM, as they encouraged thousands to download copies illegally. Being a hit with the crowd, blowing away people who have played it, Spore has already been downloaded over 500,000 times through BitTorrent, and the number is still growing.

Since the 2^nd of this month, Spore was first available on BitTorrent, being downloaded across various BitTorrent sites (As we have been covering Spore previously, check out these links to get a broader perspective on the game 1, 2, 3). DRM restrictions call are making users unhappy, where EA (Games) decided that buyers of the legitimate copy of the game are allowed to install the game only three times. This comes out of nowhere and also increases the chances of people pirating it more, whereas the DRM’s idea is to stop people from pirating the game.

Many commenters on various BitTorrent sites legitimize downloading the game, as the official copies include some heavy & intrusive DRM. Spore is also the most downloaded torrent on the ‘illustrious’ Pirate Bay, since over a week, making it pretty unique for a game. The downloading spree exceeds that of any other pirated games in history. It’s also a matter of time for it to cross the limit for being the most pirated game ever on BitTorrent as well.

So, I happened to find a comparison to give the readers an idea, that Crysis one of the best-selling PC games of the year, has only been downloaded 420,000 times since its release in November 2007. Though, The Sims 2, holds the record for being the moist pirated download. But the fact that it was released way back, it is estimated approx. 1 million copies may have been downloaded.

Anyhow, the sole blame can not be handed down to DRM, for Spore’s record breaking number of downloads. Amazon’s contribution to making Spore one of the worst rated games can’t be left behind. As due to the strict DRM, out of 2,219 reviews: 2,018 gave the game with just a 1 start rating.

The DRM is not there to stop people from pirating games, it provides to put a dent on legitimate customers, as the DRM is removed from the pirate version. The same happens with music, movies and books. So it’s part of the groove, one that doesn’t move you too well.

I managed to capture a bunch of screens, so you could have a quick look at the game and it’s detailed graphics. Enjoy!