Darkspore removed from Steam after months of game breaking issues (update)

Maxis-developed action RPG Darkspore is no longer available on the Steam store following months of server issues that made the game unplayable.

This has proved to be a long-standing issue for the game, however. Since the game's 2011 release, Darkspore has been plagued with server errors that have resulted in players being unable to log in to the game. The title, published by Electronic Arts, requires users to always be connected to EA's servers - a fact that at one point created a barrier to entry for new players who were unable to play the game for over nine days.

Prior to its de-listing from Steam, Darkspore suffered from a server-side issue that meant players were unable to save changes made to their playable heroes. Despite this, according to an announcement on the game's official forum, there are no plans to fix these issues as the title is "for almost all intents and purposes an abandoned title."

"Darkspore is no longer developed," reads a post from the game's forum manager. "It is for almost all intents and purposes an abandoned title. If you cannot play the game & have flicked through technical issues for any fixes, then contact EA Customer Support; especially if it regards CD-Keys or refunds.

Error 73003 has gone unfixed & remains an issue.

Error Code 3 has arisen for the majority/all & remains an issue.

I will however keep the forums here as clean & tidy as possible in my spare time. Why? Well why not. If it helps anyone with minor problems, or find their way somewhere, then that's great. I wish you all luck, no matter what path you choose with Darkspore."

While the game can no longer be purchased on Steam, it is still available for purchase on Origin. We have contacted EA for comment and will update the post when more information is available.

Update: An EA representative told Polygon that Steam is in the process of relisting Darkspore on its service and is expected to return in the near future. EA also supplied the following response to Polygon stating that the company intends to provide ongoing support for Darkspore.

"Thanks for your query on Darkspore, as there certainly appears to be some confusion stemming from a recent forum post. Maxis continues to support Darkspore and its servers. We recently resolved a problem where players were having issues connecting to the game. The post in question came from a moderator who is not an employee of EA. That post is currently being updated to reflect accurate information. Players experiencing technical issues should contacthelp.ea.com for customer support."