Electronic Arts and Maxis today announced that Spore, the massive online multiplayer game from the makers of The Sims, will hit store shelves on the weekend of September 7th. "The wait is almost over," said Maxis Chief Designer Will Wright. "We're in our final stages of testing and polish with Spore, and the team at Maxis can't wait to see the cosmos of content created by the community later this year." Spore gives players their own personal universe in a box, according to the developers. Players create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds, and explore a universe created by other gamers.

Spore gives players a wide array of creative tools to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and UFOs. Players can also seamlessly share their creations with the world or explore infinite new galaxies created by other gamers.

The game features five phases which include Tide Pool, Creature, Tribal, Civilization, and Space. Each phase poses its own unique challenges and experiences as players evolve their life form.