GOG.com

[cosmicray]

Then they went for being normal game store, but I don't think that their ace in the hole - no DRM, is as important to the general population as people think and is a double edged sword to boot.

But it's the only thing they still have going for them. There's no point in buying from them otherwise. But I get what you're saying, that they shouldn't have become the normal store in the first place. Perhaps, but you can't sell old games indefinitely. The pool is not that deep.

I've already partially rejected Steam and there's no chance in hell I'm starting over again with some other client. It's GOG or nothing for me at this point.

Just to chime in. I've also rejected Steam at some point and went fully drm-free. Not to discourage you, but in the end I decided that it's better for me to "rent" games from Steam than not to play at all. Hope you'll have more restraint. Although, it was not about restraint for me, but simply not caring anymore if I own the game(copy) or not. Especially the game bought on a discount. There's also, sadly, a social component of course.

 

[sullynathan]

Regular games don't care about DRM free that much, they've been using DRM for over a decade now.

Selling old games and less popular new games isn't the best Avenue for an expanding online store. Most people want to buy and play the more well known games.

Hopefully things don't go too bad for them, I need my library.

Edit: perhaps they should contemplate making cyberpunk an exclusive to the store? I know it will hurt some of their initial profits and garner some butthurt but this game still a few months or years away from releasing and last time i checked, ~50% of their pc sales of witcher 3 were from gog.

Cyberpunk is bigger than thronebreaker so there's less of a chance of it failing on their store.

 

[cosmicray]

Isn't the whole point of drm-free that you could download your library and not care about shutdown/ban/end of the world?

 

[fizzelopeguss]

GoG shouldn't be any bigger than 3 blokes, a shed and a computer knocking out the occasional repack and keeping the lights on.

 

[Azalin]

In the past, we were able to cover these extra costs from our cut and still turn a small profit. Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore. With an increasing share paid to developers, our cut gets smaller. However, we look at it, at the end of the day we are a store and need to make sure we sell games without a loss.

This is an interesting part that nobody commented on,does this mean that the Digital Store Wars that are going on right now forced them to decrease their take?

 

[cosmicray]

That's really interesting. So not only Epic Store is barebones its, I assume, practices forces other stores to remove features tied to paid share. And, sadly, we/gamers probably have no short-term leverage here.

 

[Melcar]

That's really interesting. So not only Epic Store is barebones its, I assume, practices forces other stores to remove features tied to paid share. And, sadly, we/gamers probably have no short-term leverage here.

Not buy from the Epic store? Sadly, most gamer consumers are morons. Dangle a shiny new game and they will do anything. This is how publishers have been getting away with their shit for years.

 

[Boleskine]

https://af.gog.com/forum/general/co..._packageb_program_9b7f5/post199?as=1649904300

First of all, thank you for your support. This was not an easy decision to discontinue the FPP program and we're grateful to you for understanding the reasons behind it. We see that quite a few of you raised concerns about GOG's future. As a part of publicly traded company, we can't comment on any financial results until they are officially reported, but we want to ensure you everything is good with GOG. Being part of a big gaming company, some reports - especially some given by significant media outlets - can often sound much scarier than reality.

You've been also concerned about your access to the games you’ve purchased on GOG. We've covered this topic years ago and it's been in our User Agreement for a long time (please check the section 17.3). This is not only a legal obligation to you but a core part of our ethics as a company.

But don’t worry, all is good, and we have a great plan for the future of GOG. We can’t wait for you to see some of the exciting things we have coming very soon.

 

[Morkar Left]

The lack of big titles really does sting on GOG and doesn't help attract new customers either. Everyone I know that I tell about GOG thinks, "Oh that's real neat. DRM free huh? I like Steam a whole lot though "
I try to wait and buy nearly anything I can on GOG rather than anywhere else. Steam's a second option but less preferred.

I would do the same but unfortunately there are actually good games which aren't getting released on gog. And I'm not talking about big publisher games but about indie games. As an example I can't get any Trese Brothers games there nor can I get Empyrion from there. For the Trese Brothers I assume they are worried about DRM-free (they come from a mobile background) and Empyrion just has to rely too much on the workshop and the early access design.

gog could have put effort into a standalone software that works as a game archive / collection and launcher. Being able to launch every game from every platform on it as a frontend and let you integrate every game you have including mods access, manual, soundtrack, novels, walkthrough or with whatever shit it comes or you manually can attach to it. Plus a nice descrition to it, too.

Basically like something that D-fend is for dosbox. The software could get its data from partners (mobygames, nexusmods, moddb) or from gog itself including a nice connection to the store with all its offers.

 

[CootKeeper]

they should just release skyrim again and they'll be back in the black in no time.

 

[Maggot]

Cleve always wins baby.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://af.gog.com/newsletter/20190226_Updates_Legal_en?as=1649904300

[GOG.COM] WE’RE UPDATING OUR USER AGREEMENT AND PRIVACY POLICY

Hey,

We’re updating our User Agreement and Privacy Policy, the documents that govern our relationship with you.

Why?

We want to let you know about few changes: (1) We’re adding a new functionality - GOG Direct to Account that will enable partnered platforms to activate, directly on your GOG.COM account, content purchased via these selected third party platforms; (2) we’re concluding the Fair Price Package program that some users were eligible for. For more details please see here. (3) We’ve also refreshed our Voluntary Refund Policy now offering refunds for GOG Wallet funds.

What?

We wanted to reflect all this in our policies. Plus we did some minor tidying up of the documents. You can see the updated terms here.

How?

We’re notifying you now by email, the updated versions are on the GOG.COM website and the changes take effect 30 days from now (you'll find more information about this in our User Agreement).

Do I need to do anything?

Nope.

What if I have questions?

Please contact us here and we’ll be happy to help.

GOG Direct to Account

https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/212632089-User-Agreement?as=1649904300

Direct to Account Distribution

6.8 We have a direct to account distribution feature (we’ll call it ‘GOG Direct to Account) where distribution platforms who partner with us would be able to sell games or other content to you, where you could choose for that game/content to be automatically activated within your GOG account, without the need to redeem any codes. Just to be clear, the whole purchase process is handled by the other platform, so in case of any issues with the purchase process please speak with them directly. We say a little bit more about this in the Refunds and Returns section below. Of course, anything connected to our platform’s services is still our responsibility.

Looks like they want to expand third-party sellers.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

GOG will only survive if they get new games on the platform. There are only two ways to get new games on the platform: (1) convince developers to abandon DRM, or (2) accept DRM.

Neither will happen.
(1) Devs rely on investors, and investors are 15 years slow on the uptake -- DRM doesn't stop piracy.
(2) Accepting DRM will make GOG what, Steam with a consumer base that will feel forever betrayed?

GOG's only realistic option is a compromise. Convince devs to bring new games onto the platofrm by allowing DRM for a full year from the launch date. Once that year is up, the DRM expires. Thus, developers protect the initial sales they're so worried about losing, and GOG protects its brand.

 

[Goral]

GOG's only realistic option is a compromise. Convince devs to bring new games onto the platofrm by allowing DRM for a full year from the launch date. Once that year is up, the DRM expires.

If that happened most people would choose Steam over GOG and the rest would wait a year (to see whether they would actually remove DRM).

 

[HarveyBirdman]

Are you seriously suggesting that devs would renege on a contract with GOG, or that GOG would renege on a contract with consumers? That's just asking to sink your company in court. Wouldn't happen.

Also, even if there were a significant risk that GOG reneges on the contract, your order of operations makes no sense whatsoever. Why would anybody buy a game on Steam with a guarantee of DRM forever when you could buy that same game on GOG with a (pretty much certain) promise that the DRM will disappear in a year? Buying from GOG in that situation, at worst, puts you in the same position as buying from Steam. But the expected value of buying from GOG is much higher, and so buying from GOG is always the most rational choice in that scenario.

 

[cosmicray]

Not buy from the Epic store? Sadly, most gamer consumers are morons. Dangle a shiny new game and they will do anything. This is how publishers have been getting away with their shit for years.

When the game is exclusive to Epic Store you can't really blame most people(they're just consumers, not activists). But my point was that publisher wouldn't know exactly the game bombed solely because of exclusivity.

gog could have put effort into a standalone software that works as a game archive / collection and launcher. Being able to launch every game from every platform on it as a frontend and let you integrate every game you have including mods access, manual, soundtrack, novels, walkthrough or with whatever shit it comes or you manually can attach to it. Plus a nice descrition to it, too.

Basically like something that D-fend is for dosbox. The software could get its data from partners (mobygames, nexusmods, moddb) or from gog itself including a nice connection to the store with all its offers.

Lutris on Linux does something similar - having library from different "Runners"(Wine, Steam, SCUMM, DOSBox, etc.). What I feel GOG could have done was to embrace libre/opensource. They should have made Galaxy open from the get go(thus making it probably a better client). And they could have invested in making Lutris(or Galaxy as its fork) one launcher for everything, not just GOG games. Or something. It's really bullshit that they sell games on Linux, but client is still "coming soon". I'm not butthurt much about it, but I believe DRM-free audience and Linux users have an overlap.

Basically, GOG could have been the go-to store for all your niche needs - linux, old games, drm-free, indie. They still have all of those, but aren't that focused anymore. And having drm-free for most games a year after release would be grand. Had I known the game would be surely released as drm-free year later, I wouldn't bother buying it anywhere else.

(2) Accepting DRM will make GOG what, Steam with a consumer base that will feel forever betrayed?

They'd be another Humble Store.

Why would anybody buy a game on Steam with a guarantee of DRM forever when you could buy that same game on GOG with a (pretty much certain) promise that the DRM will disappear in a year? Buying from GOG in that situation, at worst, puts you in the same position as buying from Steam. But the expected value of buying from GOG is much higher, and so buying from GOG is always the most rational choice in that scenario.

Why won't they buy new games on GOG now? Because most don't care about DRM. And I doubt it would change much. Witcher 3 sold 50% on GOG. It is huge of course, but that's the best they could do with the game they've developed/published.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

What reason would there be to use GOG if it had DRM?
It somehow manages to have an even worse website than Steam.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

They'd be another Humble Store.

How? That's not what Humble does.

Why won't they buy new games on GOG now? Because most don't care about DRM. And I doubt it would change much. Witcher 3 sold 50% on GOG. It is huge of course, but that's the best they could do with the game they've developed/published.

Because GOG doesn't have new games. You can't buy what doesn't exist. It has nothing to do with whether consumers want DRM free games, and everything to do with developers' refusal to produce DRM-free games.
And why doesn't GOG have new games? Because devs want DRM. That's why I'm saying GOG ought to broker a deal that meets the needs of devs and preferences of -- if not all, a very large chunk of -- consumers.

 

[J_C]

And why doesn't GOG have new games? Because devs want DRM. That's why I'm saying GOG ought to broker a deal that meets the needs of devs and preferences of -- if not all, a very large chunk of -- consumers.

What I would do, is give the devs a larger share, if they put the game on Steam without DRM. So they get the usual 70% if they use DRM, or get 80-85% if their game doesn't have DRM.

 

[HarveyBirdman]

Why would GOG want Steam to have DRM-free games? They can give lipservice to being the industry's white knights all they want, but if Steam suddenly said "we are now offering all the same games that GOG does without DRM," then GOG would be completely fucked. Steam has amenities GOG doesn't, and it's a lot easier to deal with one client than multiple.

But I do think you're right that GOG can entice devs to bring games to their store by undercutting Steam's fees, just like Epic is trying to do now. I'm not sure that going full-on DRM is in GOG's best interest though. For one, consumers don't care if devs get paid more or less; we just want to play our games. Additionally, GOG can't compete with Steam in the DRM market unless they intend to do what every other big dev (Bethesda, Ubisoft, EA, etc.) is doing, and have CDPR games exclusive to GOG. But if they did that, they would squander all the goodwill they've built over the past decade.

 

[cosmicray]

How? That's not what Humble does.

I meant that they'd become steam/uplay/origin key seller, unless the use their own drm-client, which I doubt. Similar to Humble Store.
Humble Bundles are another thing. Maybe I'm wrong here, not gonna argue.

Because GOG doesn't have new games. You can't buy what doesn't exist.

I meant games that do have the same release date on Steam and GOG. Obviously not AAA.

Why would GOG want Steam to have DRM-free games? They can give lipservice to being the industry's white knights all they want, but if Steam suddenly said "we are now offering all the same games that GOG does without DRM," then GOG would be completely fucked. Steam has amenities GOG doesn't, and it's a lot easier to deal with one client than multiple.

Steam has drm-free games.(well, if you install them at least) I want Steam to actually make a tag/filter or something regarding DRM. Some games on Steam don't require Steam client to launch, only to download.

 

[Infinitron]

have CDPR games exclusive to GOG. But if they did that, they would squander all the goodwill they've built over the past decade.

If CD Projekt really want GOG to survive (and they're starting to seem pretty nervous) then they would totally make Cyberpunk 2077 a GOG-exclusive for at least a while. There's already a precedent in the Thronebreaker game (which didn't go so well for them, but Cyberpunk would)

 

[Unkillable Cat]

GOG will only survive if they get new games on the platform. There are only two ways to get new games on the platform: (1) convince developers to abandon DRM, or (2) accept DRM.

Neither will happen.
(1) Devs rely on investors, and investors are 15 years slow on the uptake -- DRM doesn't stop piracy.
(2) Accepting DRM will make GOG what, Steam with a consumer base that will feel forever betrayed?

GOG's only realistic option is a compromise. Convince devs to bring new games onto the platofrm by allowing DRM for a full year from the launch date. Once that year is up, the DRM expires. Thus, developers protect the initial sales they're so worried about losing, and GOG protects its brand.

That last part is already happening with some titles, without any "compromises" taking place from anyone.

Game first gets released on Steam, where DRM assures some money comes in.
When the Steam money starts drying up, game gets released on GOG to expand its lifespan.
The End.

Far too often the GOG release comes without any further support, up to and including patches and other content released on Steam never appearing on GOG.
This is why the term "GOG treats its customers like second-class citizens" is so often thrown about.

 

[samuraigaiden]

I think GOG's fundamental problem is that it's business model is linked to an aging demographic. Young people, those who are growing up right now with Netflix and Spotify and Steam, don't give a fuck about DRM. Most people who do care are either older than 30 or live in places where they can't rely on internet access 24/7. Unless we get a catastrophic worldwide event that both radically reduces the number of births and kills off younger people and interrupts the development of communication infrastructure all at the same time, those demographics will get smaller over time.

The only way I can see GOG keeping their user base and bringing in more customers is by offering a subscription service alongside DRM-free games. Any back pedaling on the DRM-free approach would be commercial suicide.

 

[udm]

Removing FPP is not a decision we make lightly, but by making this change, we will be able to offer better conditions to game creators, which — in turn — will allow us to offer you more curated back-cat games and new releases. All DRM-free.