16 years later, Spore returns with new developers and a promise to "honor" the god sim's history but no sequel or "major updates"

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Spore screenshot showing two creatures standing before one anotherin tall orange/teal grass, one big and one small
(Image credit: (Image credit: Maxis))

Spore revolutionized the sim genre when it released back in 2008, capturing the attention of countless players worldwide - but 16 years later, there's still no sight of a sequel.

Unfortunately, it looks as though nothing about that will change anytime soon. A brand-new announcement on the game's official website, the first in literal years, sparked false hope in longtime fans' hearts. The post announces the recent onboarding of two new developers and the creation of an official Discord server for Spore. While it seems like it could mark the path toward a potential sequel or update reveal, it sadly doesn't.

The developers clarify as much in a message via the game's new dedicated Discord server, writing that they "wanted to set some expectations right off the bat here, so you can take all those tinfoil hats off." Maxis then states that the studio does "not currently have any plans for major updates to the game itself at this time, or any kind of sequel. Spore is a unique and special game and it is our intent to honor its history."

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The devs' "primary focus" right now isn't Spore 2 or fresh updates for the 2008 banger. Instead, it's "on community engagement." That's where new projects like the Discord server come in - acting as "a central hub" of sorts. As a Spore stan myself, though, I can't help but feel a tad disappointed that the first news to come in years has almost nothing to do with the game - but at least I'll always have Maxis' other icon, The Sims 4, to fall back on.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.