Spore Creature Editor Will Launch, Prior to Game

Found out from Chris that the Creature Editor from Spore will be released prior to game. This is an extremely smart move, as so many people seem to have had their interest rekindled by the recent release date news.

The only news that would make things even better – if the editor itself were free. I’m curious whether that would be a good marketing decision or not. I look at how WoW is distributed now… and it’s a disc that gets included in other games. There was a point where you could just get a free disc from a magazine, or off a counter or whatnot.

But… I know there was a good deal of money made, for those who ponied up for the retail box, the early adopters who paid their $50 to play. I guess I’m thinking a lot about apps that are distributed online – how many companies offer a free version of their product, but have a “Pro” version that they charge for. My gut tells me Maxis would gain in customers what they lose in giving away the editor, free. I guess we’ll find out. And hopefully… soon.

For a closer look at the creature editor in action, check out this video from Kotaku. It’s a bear of a file, and slow to load, but well worth it.