Amazon.com removes, reinstates reviews for 'Spore'

More than 2,200 one-star reviews of the new Electronic Arts game Spore, left on Amazon.com as part of a well-publicized and coordinated user revolt against the game's digital rights management restrictions, disappeared Friday.

Before Amazon.com took down the reviews, there were more than 2,200 one-star reviews for 'Spore.'

(Credit: Flickr user TINZ)

And while Amazon customers reacted angrily to what they said was obviously Amazon's caving in on a bad situation, the retailer itself said that the take-down was the result of nothing more onerous than a glitch.

Users have been angry at EA because the game's DRM system appears to limit the number of activations per copy of the game to three.

And as a way of striking back, some users had coordinated their efforts by leaving the more than 2,200 one-star reviews on Amazon.

On Friday, every single review for Spore for the game was gone.

But Amazon says there was no foul play at work.

After users of the new Electronic Arts video game, 'Spore,' revolted against its DRM restrictions by leaving hundreds of one-star reviews for the game on Amazon.com, the online retailer temporarily removed all reviews for the game, though it claims the move was nothing more than a 'glitch.'

(Credit: Amazon.com)

"There's just a glitch on the site that ended up wiping those reviews clean," said Amazon.com spokesperson Tammy Hovey. "So we're working on putting them back up. I don't have any details (on what happened). But we're working on it so all the customer reviews will be back up on the site."

Asked if perhaps Amazon had decided to put the reviews back up in anticipation of bad PR for taking them down, Hovey said, "Customers always have their opinions about all the products on our site, and we don't censor them, whether they're favorable or unfavorable."

By 2:10 p.m. PDT, the reviews were back up on the site.

For its part, EA said it was looking into the situation.

Although the actual reviews were removed, Amazon did leave up a discussion thread on the Spore page. And during the period while the reviews were down, some users angrily employed the thread to paste in reviews that had originally been left for the game.

For example, "1.0 out of 5 stars Dumbed down experience and draconian DRM, September 7, 2008," Amazon user Keri Gibson-tutt posted.

"Utterly disgraceful," wrote Amazon user Paul Tinsley. "This means that the Amazon review system has not value at all to its customers. Sad days indeed."

It's not clear how users will respond now that the reviews are back.

[alegr]

I think the reviews were restored because Amazon realized that the customers better be angry at the vendor, rather than at them.

[Lerianis]

HAH! Yeah, you are probably right there.

[Vegaman_Dan]

Mighty convenient 'accident' that affected only that product and nothing else. Amazing. What a coincidence. Kind of like how all the negative forum threads and complaints magically disappear from Apple's own forums similarly. Nobody knows how it happens- but the negative stuff just vanishes. Must be a 'glitch'.

But I'm glad they put the reviews back up. I have no doubt that they thought they could get away with it but realized the backlash from doing so was going to be worse than leaving the original content up.

[ukcannonfodder]

This also happened across Europe, Amazon.co.uk removed over 370 reviews that have never been reinstated.

[fugawe]

You shouldn't be too surprised that Amazon removed all of the "1" reviews for Spore. The same thing happened back with the game "Kane and Lynch" when Gamespot reviewer Jeff Gerstmann appeared to have been fired for giving the game a low score. Regardless of the true behind Jeff Gerstman's departure, gamers protested by giving the game "1" ratings on both Gamespot and on Amazon.

The user scores on Gamespot still only average 3.7, but Amazon wiped out almost every single review for the game.

As of today (9/12/08), Kane and Lynch only has ONE review: a 3 star rating for the PC version. The XBOX and PS3 versions have ZERO reviews.

It's sad that this kind of censorship takes place. I'm glad that Gamespot did the right thing and didn't do what Amazon did.

[Blackmere]

I don't get it. You have thousands of people reviewing/rating a game that they haven't played because they have a problem with a technology in it and that's an ok use of Amazon's system but the company wiping the data and starting over isn't? How about some ire to all the morons using Amazon as a soapbox.

To said morons: DRM sucks. Don't buy the game. Write blog posts about it but stop gaming Amazon's system to further your cause.

[Lerianis]

Hey, this isn't 'gaming the system'. It's make the displeasure with a product VERY CLEAR to the companies in question, who if enough people write bad reviews for their games because of DRM might realize "Holy F***! We'd better stop with the DRM that only punished legitimate customers who, somewhere down the road, want to resell their games!"

[Renegade Knight]

Sorry, but if I can't install the game when and where I want it to enjoy it then it's failing it's purpose. That's a zero rating. The DRM itself and the verification system limit the games replaability. I have Diablo II and that was played for several years. The way my house reformats computers I'll burn through my installs in a few months and then the game will just be a coaster. That's not worth much of a rating. I will however reserve my rating for my next install when I put it on the main computer I plan on enjoying it from. If they nix my install, then I'll rate.

You have a fair point about ratings where folks have not played the game.

[adamjk]

Blackmere,

You are a smart man. Social revolt doesn't belong in the sales channel, it exists in your own channel. Don't buy it if you knew the DRM sucked, and don't rely on a retailer to keep your voice afloat.

This is common sense folks. Thank you Blackmere for making that clear.

[gggg sssss]

Amazon wants to enrich itself on mass provided by social networking, but wants to allow only what it sees fit. The beast revolted. Amazon struck back. Like whee that moron Kanye West lashes out at a paparazzi. WIthout papapazzi there is no value in West. Without social networking there is no value in Amazon.

Both are greedy b***ches.

[Renegade Knight]

I'll kick in my one star review both here and Amazon if I am unable to uninstall it from a temp computer and install it on the one I intended to enjoy it on when I get it back from repair. If I can install it but have to waste time on the phone I may kick it up to two stars. It's been shown that a company can withraw online authorization at any time for any reason. MicroSoft and Yahoo have both done this and they are not poor broke and starving.

Software first and foremost has a purpose. If you can not enjoy it for that purpose it's functionally useless and a waste of your time and money.

[Farthing Haypenny]

I don't steal I.P. and refuse to be treated as though I do. I won't be buying Spore.

[Farthing Haypenny]

I don't steal I.P. and refuse to be treated as though I do. I won't be buying Spore.

[xtina-lover]

hmmm ... have Amazon staff ever heard of the words "freedom of speech"?!!!

[blacknebraskan]

lol...freedom of speech on a commercial website? What they decide to post on their website is entirely up to them. It's not like they're required by law to provide a review system at all. Freedom of speech means that you're allowed to say what you want on your on dime, not someone elses.

[Renegade Knight]

It would be nice if Amazon limited it's review to actual users of the game. I don't mind 1 star or 5 reviews but I do mind if they are not actual review. c|Net has the same problem.

[HighwayHome]

Looks like Amazon and EA are running scared on this PR fiasco...nothing better than seeing a couple of big boys sweating bullets...keep it up folks...

[Borgkube]

I haven't read every review here, but the ones I have read mostly say the game is dumbed down from preview version and it is boring. They mention the DRM problem, but that doesn't seem to be the main reason for the low scores. Personally, it doesn't sound very interesting to me, but then, I don't the Sims either.