GOG Gets a New Name and "Newer" Games

[tzimize]

If GOG can start getting even more new games, like current releases, I could definitely see them as some serious competition to Steam. Who wouldn't want to buy all their games DRM free?

See? It is entirely possible to compete with Steam without having to become the quagmire that is Origin, pay attention EA. You might learn something.

Yeah...the problem is that most publishers want to ASSUME DIRECT CONTROL. Which is ultimately what this is all about. GoG has grown and been successful on trusting their community (for the most part) and not using DRM in any way.

Since custumers have been saying for quite a few years that this is what they WANT, it shouldnt be too surprising that GoG is successful with it

Personally I use Steam, and GoG. I tried Origin, hated it, and decided to dump it on a permanent basis. I dont need any alternative overlays to compete with steam, I just need fast, easy sales with no DRM. GoG offers just that.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Why are they doing this? Wasn't their entire purpose to offer classic games to a culture drenched in bloom and brown muck? Now, they may not be stocking Gears of War, but it seems like a vintage furniture store deciding to stock new used-lounges.

Oh. Right. Money.

So?

Seriously, so what? they're still going to offer those classic games and continue to add more, so what if they add some new(ish) games to the list?

I would rather they spent money and time acquiring actual classics and oldies. I foresee a slow fall into just another Steam contender that offers whatever they can sell, ala Direct2Drive.

Besides that, it's the spirit of the situation that saddens me; to see a company once so proud to bring old games that deserve to be played by a younger generation to the forefront, bend to greed and offer up what is already easily available, makes me sad inside.

But whatever. Who am I? GoG could continue on its path and end up being the best provider for classic games and the best for new ones. I'm sure there are business analysts much smarter than myself guiding them on this stuff.

GoG has grown and been successful on trusting their community (for the most part) and not using DRM in any way.

Interestingly enough, if you Google the name of any of the games offered on GoG and something like "download" or "cracked"

[HEADING=1]I am not advocating piracy, this is just for the sake of conversation.[/HEADING]

there are a LOT of results that read something like "[Game] No DRM - GoG Version". Which is... a huge bummer.

 

[tzimize]

Why are they doing this? Wasn't their entire purpose to offer classic games to a culture drenched in bloom and brown muck? Now, they may not be stocking Gears of War, but it seems like a vintage furniture store deciding to stock new used-lounges.

Oh. Right. Money.

So?

Seriously, so what? they're still going to offer those classic games and continue to add more, so what if they add some new(ish) games to the list?

I would rather they spent money and time acquiring actual classics and oldies. I foresee a slow fall into just another Steam contender that offers whatever they can sell, ala Direct2Drive.

Besides that, it's the spirit of the situation that saddens me; to see a company once so proud to bring old games that deserve to be played by a younger generation to the forefront, bend to greed and offer up what is already easily available, makes me sad inside.

But whatever. Who am I? GoG could continue on its path and end up being the best provider for classic games and the best for new ones. I'm sure there are business analysts much smarter than myself guiding them on this stuff.

GoG has grown and been successful on trusting their community (for the most part) and not using DRM in any way.

Interestingly enough, if you Google the name of any of the games offered on GoG and something like "download" or "cracked"

[HEADING=1]I am not advocating piracy, this is just for the sake of conversation.[/HEADING]

there are a LOT of results that read something like "[Game] No DRM - GoG Version". Which is... a huge bummer.

Well, yes. But there is no fighting this. Some people will ALWAYS want free stuff. And honestly, there are a lot of reasons why people pirate. Maybe some people buy the originals (non-gog) then download gog versions to use because of draconian DRM.

Some people just dont, or cant pony up the dough, but there is no helping that.

I still firmly believe that its a LOT better to have a good relationship to your customers by offering them the services and products they want, instead of pushing and controlling them like some publishers want.

In the end, some companies will have a good relationship to their customers, and their customers will much more easily, and gladly pay for their products.

While other companies will suffer the hatred of the masses (like Ubisoft for example) and end up on the streets.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Why are they doing this? Wasn't their entire purpose to offer classic games to a culture drenched in bloom and brown muck? Now, they may not be stocking Gears of War, but it seems like a vintage furniture store deciding to stock new used-lounges.

Oh. Right. Money.

So?

Seriously, so what? they're still going to offer those classic games and continue to add more, so what if they add some new(ish) games to the list?

I would rather they spent money and time acquiring actual classics and oldies. I foresee a slow fall into just another Steam contender that offers whatever they can sell, ala Direct2Drive.

Besides that, it's the spirit of the situation that saddens me; to see a company once so proud to bring old games that deserve to be played by a younger generation to the forefront, bend to greed and offer up what is already easily available, makes me sad inside.

But whatever. Who am I? GoG could continue on its path and end up being the best provider for classic games and the best for new ones. I'm sure there are business analysts much smarter than myself guiding them on this stuff.

GoG has grown and been successful on trusting their community (for the most part) and not using DRM in any way.

Interestingly enough, if you Google the name of any of the games offered on GoG and something like "download" or "cracked"

[HEADING=1]I am not advocating piracy, this is just for the sake of conversation.[/HEADING]

there are a LOT of results that read something like "[Game] No DRM - GoG Version". Which is... a huge bummer.

Well, yes. But there is no fighting this. Some people will ALWAYS want free stuff. And honestly, there are a lot of reasons why people pirate. Maybe some people buy the originals (non-gog) then download gog versions to use because of draconian DRM.

Some people just dont, or cant pony up the dough, but there is no helping that.

I still firmly believe that its a LOT better to have a good relationship to your customers by offering them the services and products they want, instead of pushing and controlling them like some publishers want.

In the end, some companies will have a good relationship to their customers, and their customers will much more easily, and gladly pay for their products.

While other companies will suffer the hatred of the masses (like Ubisoft for example) and end up on the streets.

Oh I'm not saying GoG are going about it badly. It's just super sad that a company says "here you go, guys, have these game free from that DRM you hate so much-and super cheap too!" Only to have people throw it in their face and steal from them anyway.

Pisses me off, honestly.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

I would rather they spent money and time acquiring actual classics and oldies. I foresee a slow fall into just another Steam contender that offers whatever they can sell, ala Direct2Drive.

Besides that, it's the spirit of the situation that saddens me; to see a company once so proud to bring old games that deserve to be played by a younger generation to the forefront, bend to greed and offer up what is already easily available, makes me sad inside.

There are a shitpot of games GOG have been trying for years to get a distro deal for but their IP holders won't go for it. It's not like they're some site that can play in the very murky waters of so-called 'abandonware', they have to go through all the hoop jumping, begging and deal cutting to get the rights to distribute any of these games.

If GOG want to expand their offers to include newer games and indie titles, it's probably because they see it as a viable demand to meet. What else were CD Projekt supposed to do? Create another entirely seperate online distributor to service newer and indie games?

GoG could continue on its path and end up being the best provider for classic games and the best for new ones. I'm sure there are business analysts much smarter than myself guiding them on this stuff.

Considering that CD Projekt went from a localisation studio to the largest games distributor in Central and Eastern Europe in 15-20 years, dealing with markets where piracy is the norm and in some harsh economic climates, I'd say they have a good idea about what they're doing.

"[Game] No DRM - GoG Version". Which is... a huge bummer.

Yeah but the lack of DRM isn't usually the reason GOG versions get pirated, it's because they're fully patched versions that work with modern operating systems... Yeah, it's a shit that they get pirated but even if they had DRM they'd still get pirated by people wanting to play them but not wanting to pony up the cash for it.

Strangely enough, it's been reported that the bulk of the torrents for The Witcher 2 were from cracked Steam versions not the GOG version.

 

[Andy Chalk]

I really don't see anything to complain about here. It's not as though GOG is scrapping its original business model. It will continue to carry old classics, and add old classics to the mix, and offer everything DRM-free, and have a flat pricing policy worldwide. We'll just have some "newer" games (or "less old," if that makes you feel better about it) and some indie releases to pick from as well. More choice. How is that a problem?

I look at it this way: I'm being given a choice to buy Legend of Grimrock either with DRM, or without. To me, that's a no-brainer.

 

[tzimize]

Why are they doing this? Wasn't their entire purpose to offer classic games to a culture drenched in bloom and brown muck? Now, they may not be stocking Gears of War, but it seems like a vintage furniture store deciding to stock new used-lounges.

Oh. Right. Money.

So?

Seriously, so what? they're still going to offer those classic games and continue to add more, so what if they add some new(ish) games to the list?

I would rather they spent money and time acquiring actual classics and oldies. I foresee a slow fall into just another Steam contender that offers whatever they can sell, ala Direct2Drive.

Besides that, it's the spirit of the situation that saddens me; to see a company once so proud to bring old games that deserve to be played by a younger generation to the forefront, bend to greed and offer up what is already easily available, makes me sad inside.

But whatever. Who am I? GoG could continue on its path and end up being the best provider for classic games and the best for new ones. I'm sure there are business analysts much smarter than myself guiding them on this stuff.

GoG has grown and been successful on trusting their community (for the most part) and not using DRM in any way.

Interestingly enough, if you Google the name of any of the games offered on GoG and something like "download" or "cracked"

[HEADING=1]I am not advocating piracy, this is just for the sake of conversation.[/HEADING]

there are a LOT of results that read something like "[Game] No DRM - GoG Version". Which is... a huge bummer.

Well, yes. But there is no fighting this. Some people will ALWAYS want free stuff. And honestly, there are a lot of reasons why people pirate. Maybe some people buy the originals (non-gog) then download gog versions to use because of draconian DRM.

Some people just dont, or cant pony up the dough, but there is no helping that.

I still firmly believe that its a LOT better to have a good relationship to your customers by offering them the services and products they want, instead of pushing and controlling them like some publishers want.

In the end, some companies will have a good relationship to their customers, and their customers will much more easily, and gladly pay for their products.

While other companies will suffer the hatred of the masses (like Ubisoft for example) and end up on the streets.

Oh I'm not saying GoG are going about it badly. It's just super sad that a company says "here you go, guys, have these game free from that DRM you hate so much-and super cheap too!" Only to have people throw it in their face and steal from them anyway.

Pisses me off, honestly.

Thats true. But piracy is not such a bad thing as some people want to picture it to be.

It does gain companies a LOT of free PR and word of mouth. It might gain them a lot of new fans, and as a consequence a lot of new sales...

That said, I'd have zero qualms pirating a DLC-bonanza from EA, but I'd hesitate to even give one of my closest friends a game downloaded from GoG. There is a great lesson there, staring some companies in the face...if they only weren't so blind.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

space saver

But it's still a massive bumer that people are offered DRM free versions of the games for cheap as shit--no matter who you are, if you have the ability to play the games, you can afford the $9 to pay for them--and they still steal from them.

It makes me think of this SUPER nice shop owner I knew. He owned a model store. Stocked Warhammer, 40K, model planes, trains-you name it. He held comps regularly and gave the winners free Warhammer models (like a $15 blister or something). He did everything he could to be a fucking awesome guy and I spent every cent I could in his store. He decided to leave the small blister packs out on the shelves so people could look at them up close, rather than behind the counter like most other stores. It was really cool to just pick one off the shelf and look at it up close, without having to ask.

Spoiler: If you don't know, here's what they look like:

That's about 75% scale.

What happened? Some people starting stealing them... He was gutted and felt really betrayed; he had done so much for his customers and they stole from him.

Seriously, stop treating nice people like chumps and stealing their shit. If you are just a selfish asshole and don't care about them at all, think of it this way: the more you make life hard for them, the less they do for you. Smash in to a store and steal some stuff? Higher prices next time you need something so they can pay for the repairs. Pirate a game to hell? Doesn't make enough money and the indie company goes bust/the huge publisher decides not to fund a sequel. It's not always the case, and yeah, you might get away with it a hundred times, but sooner or later you'll be bitten in the ass. You certainly can't look at those blister packs without asking for the shelf to be unlocked anymore.

Anywho, this is all super off-topic and I just ranted at you for a bit, lol. Sorry! Was obviously not aimed at you personally. Hopefully it was at least an interesting read >_>

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

The good thing is that piracy rates are actually rather low, studies have pegged it at around 8% in the US

I call bullshit. No way on this Earth 8% of owned games are pirated or that 8% of people pirate. No way in hell. I've never pirated (and I mean actually pirated, not listened to a song on Youtube or whatever strawman people always make, lol) but I can honestly not name a single friend of mine who hasn't pirated. In fact, bar my grandparents, I can't think of anyone at all that I know who hasn't burned a CD of music at least.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying it's okay to pirate. Mods, leave me alone, lol. But, I do agree that piracy isn't as horrible as it can be made out to be. It can in some ways help people who own the digital products to make money and/or to gain a reputation and make money in the future. There are much better ways for that to happen, but those are possible outcomes from piracy. However, I absolutely hate the argument of "no lost sales." I have absolutely, completely, utterly, no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of people who pirate games would buy them if they couldn't steal them. We're talking about people who enjoy gaming, people who own computers or consoles, people who love their hobby. If the option was never there for them to steal, they would buy the games. They might buy LESS (it's easier to take as risk on a game you are unsure you will like if it's cost is in time to download, rather than money) but they would buy games.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

The good thing is that piracy rates are actually rather low, studies have pegged it at around 8% in the US

I call bullshit. No way on this Earth 8% of owned games are pirated or that 8% of people pirate. No way in hell. I've never pirated (and I mean actually pirated, not listened to a song on Youtube or whatever strawman people always make, lol) but I can honestly not name a single friend of mine who hasn't pirated. In fact, bar my grandparents, I can't think of anyone at all that I know who hasn't burned a CD of music at least.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying it's okay to pirate. Mods, leave me alone, lol. But, I do agree that piracy isn't as horrible as it can be made out to be. It can in some ways help people who own the digital products to make money and/or to gain a reputation and make money in the future. There are much better ways for that to happen, but those are possible outcomes from piracy. However, I absolutely hate the argument of "no lost sales." I have absolutely, completely, utterly, no doubt in my mind that the vast majority of people who pirate games would buy them if they couldn't steal them. We're talking about people who enjoy gaming, people who own computers or consoles, people who love their hobby. If the option was never there for them to steal, they would buy the games. They might buy LESS (it's easier to take as risk on a game you are unsure you will like if it's cost is in time to download, rather than money) but they would buy games.

You are posting on a gaming forum, your friends do not represent the country at large. Anyway, that was total piracy rates, not just games. Do any of those friends of yours buy games too? Because that also offsets the piracy rate. Anyway, not my numbers.

I looked it up and saw other people citing 20%. Ars Technica had an article where they listed 8 or 9% I thought but I don't have the time to go look it up. Either way, the US has the lowest piracy rate in the world. Literally.

I doubt the U.S. has the lowest piracy rate. They may have a lower rate than some countries, but no way is one of the largest consumers of video games (besides a few Asian countries, perhaps THE largest consumer of video games) the least likely to pirate.

But this is all conjecture and I can't say anything with any evidence at all because I simply don't have the numbers.

I think we can agree that piracy has a few pros, but it would be better if everyone who played the games paid for them--and had the ability to pay for them, at that.

I gotta hit the hay as I am super tired. Peace.

 

[Formica Archonis]

So you'll stay away from wonderful DRM free games you can install and play on all the computers you own, with extra goodies and updated to run on all versions of Windows because of some poor marketing decision?

Yes. In fact, I thought that was the definition of a poor marketing decision: Something that makes people buy elsewhere.

Talk about short sighted.

I could stop buying games (DRM free, from other sources) now and I'd take a year to get through my backlog. Yeah, I've lost SO much because of my choice.

 

[JediMB]

Other changes at GOG include [...] better download speeds

What? 13 MB/s isn't enough for some people?