Oh noes! Spore Online mode might be charged!

I’m cheap, I admit it. I don’t believe that games with online play should charge a montly fee after you have already bought the game. I hope this won’t be the case for the online mode in Spore. However, this Gamespot article interviewed EA Games president Frank Gibeau and he thinks otherwise…

Gibeau also hinted that Spore might not be entirely free of charge. He told analysts that the online mode of the game could be an “opportunity” for an “expanded digital revenue stream.” He did not elaborate if said stream entailed microtransactions, in-game advertising, subscription fees, or any combination of the three.