According to last years GDC talk...Is the game going to be online only...that's kinda disappointing.
It's a massively singleplayer game. The only online elements is uploading your creatures to a central web server, and downloading creatures/objects created by other players as and when the game thinks it needs them, based on what's needed and what the game has learnt of your preferences.
So, basically, like an automated form of the sims exchange, entirely opt in, and there'll be enough creatures and buildings on the disk so you don't really lose anything otherwise.