Spore’s procedural animation architect Chris Hecker joined the team over three years ago. “EA was willing to give this game the time it deserved in development. It had time to simmer, which shows in the game,” Hecker says. “While it’s still a game in that it fits into that definition due to its player interactivity, Spore tends to kick it up a notch with its ‘Creature Creator’ and other features.”

Senior producer Morgan Roarty says that the game basically has three levels of difficulty, with the ultimate goal of getting into space. It can take a player four to six hours of very basic play to evolve from single-cell activity to space exploration. However, building the weird new-species creatures and their environments may be as attractive to some players as completing the core game and conquering distant worlds. “Spore is unique because while you can play it as a game, some people may never go into the game,” Roarty says.

Animation World Magazine:  The Evolution of Spore