Wednesday’s announcement that celebrated game designer Will Wright is parting company with Electronic Arts is the latest piece of tough news in what has been a difficult year for EA. Wright, who masterminded the “Sims” franchise along with the newer  “Spore”, is a certifiable legend who has been called the the “Albert Einstein of the gaming business.”

“Sims” and its related spinoffs have sold more than 100 million units over the years.

In February, EA posted weaker-than-expected results, and delayed the release of several games — including “Sims 3″ — causing it to forecast a loss for the fiscal year. The company is cutting 1,100 jobs even as it goes mano-a-mano with larger rival Activision Blizzard.

Cowen analyst Doug Creutz said in a research note he doesn’t expect Wright’s departure to have a near-term impact on EA’s financials: “However, his departure is likely to be a long-term negative as Wright’s games have been some of EA’s most profitable franchises, and Wright has been the leader in game design at EA’s Maxis studio. Wright has also been the most visible and respected talent at EA for many years.”

Wright will turn his focus to a company he founded a few years back, the Stupid Fun Club. EA and Wright will hold an equal stake in the venture, an “entertainment think tank” developing a whole range of content.

“The venture with EA appears to give Wright a much more significant economic stake in his future game designs, as well as more creative control,” Creutz wrote.

(Photo: Reuters)

Electronic Arts provided a glimpse at “Spore,” a much-hyped game where players begin with their own basic microbe and customize their creature to weather environmental conditions and population changes on Earth. Reuters video game reporter Jennifer Martinez gives us the story from the news conference. 

During the  company’s E3 press conference, EA showed a brief trailer of the game and set a release date, Sept. 7, for the latest title from legendary game creator Will Wright, known for creating “SimCity” and “The Sims.”

EA has invested $80 million, according to one analyst, into making ”Spore,” which was inspired by Wright’s love of science and his favorite toy as a child, a chemistry set.

“Science and creativity are an amazingly fertile intersection,” said Wright at the news conference.  “Science was something you could make stuff out of.”

The storyline of Spore takes its cue from Charles Darwin, as the game is essentially a virtual action game based on the scientist’s evolution theory.  For example, if players want their creature to have 360-degree vision, they are able to add extra eyes to the character’s body.

The “survival of the fittest” game has already gained large following of fans through EA’s web launch of its “Creature Creator,” where users can log onto the site and create their own Spore character. 

Within the first 22 hours of the Creature Creator’s launch, over 100,000 Spore creatures were created by users.  Over a million creatures were created by the end of the week, according to EA.