The EA/Maxis game Darkspore was temporarily removed from the Steam store because the game's online based DRM made the game unplayable.
Gamers had been reported server problems with the two year-old game over the last year, but things came to a head in early June when a new server error, code number 3, started making the game virtually unplayable. So many people complained that Steam was forced to remove the game from its virtual shelves.
To make matters worse, a moderator on the official Darkspore forum said the year-long persistent error was unlikely to be fixed by EA/Maxis.
This left gamers angry and frustrated that a game they paid for could be rendered useless only two years after its launch.
But EA and Maxis eventually stepped in and calmed the situation by providing a fix for the latest code 3 error, while reassuring fans that the game will continue to be supported (albeit for an unspecified amount of time). "Maxis continues to support Darkspore and its servers. We recently resolved a problem where players were having issues connecting to the game," read a statement from EA.
And at the time of writing, Darkspore appears to be available for purchase once again on Steam.
This latest incident has reignited the server based DRM debate once again, with gamers weary of investing in games that may have an arbitrary use-by date.
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