10 Things EA Wants You To Forget

4. SPORE's DRM Disaster

Set to be a game all about creation, from first noises to walking, talking creature, Spore was the No Man's Sky of the late 2000s.

Although it would fall apart at the seams in regards to enjoyable gameplay and a worthwhile look at "an entire ecosystem in motion", Spore was doomed before launch by controversy surrounding digital rights management (DRM).

See, EA implemented a spectacularly limiting DRM policy that meant copies of the game could only be activated on up to three PCs, limiting the ability to trade or even trust the copy you were buying second hand would work.

EA only doubled down on defending the practice, seeing 1.7 million of prospective buyers torrent the game instead, making a sizeable dent in Spore's sales that combined with all the DRM backlash, ensured it never evolved the ability to stand on its own two feet.