Although it can be difficult to describe what, exactly, Will Wright and EA Maxis’ evolution simulator Spore is, it stands as one of the more anticipated games to arrive in 2008, thanks to its sheer scope and development pedigree. To heighten audiences’ anticipation of the game and give them a sense of the possibilities inherent in it, EA released the Spore Creature Creator in June, letting fans upload their unique creations to the online Sporepedia.

With Wright’s design philosophy of giving gamers tools, sticking them in a situation, and then seeing what happens in full effect, it didn’t take long before nipple-covered monstrosities began to flood the online compendium. However, given that the game is targeted at mass-market audiences, EA quickly stepped in, saying that it would censor all creatures that fell into the so-called "Sporn" phylum.

So how does Wright feel about players flooding his latest game with lewd content? "When you give players creative control, you have to expect they’re going to do the unexpected," the celebrity designer told the Associated Press. "Some of it’s really good for what they were shooting for. It’s amazingly explicit, especially when those creations are animated. We just have to make sure those people aren’t messing up the experience for others."

In addition to addressing the sporn epidemic, Wright also briefly touched upon the prospect of future console iterations of his ambitious game. "Spore on almost any platform is going to be different and tied to the unique aspects of that platform," said Wright. "Sitting in front of a console is very different from sitting in front of a PC. Whether you’re using a mouse or a [PlayStation 3] controller or a Wii wand, that right off the bat is arguing for a somewhat different design."

Thus far, EA has only confirmed that a version of Spore has been planted on Nintendo’s Wii, though the publisher has strongly hinted that the game will spread to other consoles in the future. Along with the PC game, Spore will launch on September 7 for the Mac and Nintendo DS. An edition for mobile devices was released last month.

By TomM_GScom