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General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted February 21, 2014
The DRM-Free Revolution Continues with Big Pre-Orders and Launch Day Releases!

Good news! GOG.com is going to bring you more fantastic launch day releases, preorders, and other exciting new content from some of our favorite developers. We've lined up 3 big titles that we will be bringing to GOG.com in the next couple of months for sale or preorder that we think will be hits with all of our gamers; and we have more equally exciting games coming up soon.

If you've been a member of the site for a long time, you may recall that when we launched sales of The Witcher 2 on GOG.com, we had to add in regional pricing. The game cost different amounts in in the US, the UK, the European Union, and Australia. We're doing something like that once again in order to bring you new titles from fantastic bigger studios. Since we don't accept currencies other than USD on GOG.com right now, we'll be charging the equivalent of the local price in USD for these titles. We wish that we could offer these games at flat prices everywhere in the world, but the decision on pricing is always in our partners' hands, and regional pricing is becoming the standard around the globe. We're doing this because we believe that there's no better way to accomplish our overall goals for DRM-Free gaming and GOG.com. We need more games, devs, and publishers on board to make DRM-Free gaming something that's standard for all of the gaming world!

That brings with it more good news, though! As mentioned, we have three games we're launching soon with regional pricing--two RPGs and a strategy game--and while we can't tell you what they are yet because breaking an NDA has more severe penalties than just getting a noogie, we're confident that you'll be as excited about these games as we are. For a limited time, we will be offering anyone who pre-orders or buys one of them a free game from a selection as a gift from GOG.com, just like we did for The Witcher 2.

If you have any questions, hit us up in the comments below and we'll be happy to answer (to the best of our ability).

EDIT: Since we've answered a lot of the common questions already here (and lest you think that we've ignored you), it may be handy for you to check out the forum thread about this and search for staff answers by clicking this link here. (hat tip to user Eli who reminded us that the feature even exists. :)
Posted February 23, 2014
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keeveek: At this moment, Humble Store has everything better than you. Ok, they are not always DRM free, but usually they have more different formats than you as well. Linux or android versions for the price of one.

Good luck, GOG. I hardly bought anything frmo you lately anyway...
I thought Origin was your primary store anyway. :P
Posted February 23, 2014
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jackster79:
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DrYaboll: I disagree.

How is retail protected in any form, when the prices of digital games [during a sale] simply crush them?

I dont think I have ever seen a phycial copy for as low a price / cheaper than a digital game on sale.
[at least when it comes to relatively new games - not classics - with a heavy discount eg. 75% off]

So yeah, it is really a BS argument. Wanna protect the retail? Stop the sales then.
I agree - digital sales crush retail every time, but no, publishers are not going to permit the sales to stop.

Essentially, publishers are playing both distribution channels against each other. On the brick-and-motar side, they throw retailers a bone with region-specific pricing (and though off-topic, another example is retailer-specific exclusives for pre-orders), while throwing digital distributors a bone by allowing sales with deep discounts.

What really irks me is that these publishers are getting to "have their cake and eat it too" by using each distribution method as a means of taking advantage of the other and reaping windfalls with such tactics like this region-specific pricing model.

That being said, retailers are fighting back where they can (in places such as Germany and Australia) by price and/or content controls.

**Edited for better message stating
Post edited February 23, 2014 by jackster79
Posted February 23, 2014
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dirtyharry50: Where I live in the United States, physical retail is nearly dead and on life support basically. In fact the only retailer anywhere near me in Massachusetts with a very limited selection I might add, carrying PC games is Best Buy.
Basically it's the same thing here in Georgia (US). And it's even worse for adventure gamers since ours was a niche market to begin with. Adventure games may not be dead but it's a long way from the golden age of AGs and if they're doing well in Germany they aren't here and you have a hell of a time finding them in a brick and mortar store.


When I think about this some more I guess it just comes down to this:

Once you toss your credibility out the window by saying one thing and later doing another it pretty much makes any further promises made during the damage control phase meaningless. For example, when DRM comes here you will not see TET eat his or any other hat. I feel sorry for the guy actually. He is left now to defend the indefensible. A promise made has been broken. Excuses do not undo this. Justifications do not undo this. Various defenses by the faithful do not undo this. Watch the linked videos. It is what it is.

No wonder people are bullshit. Somebody above lamented this not being more of a "discussion." No, it isn't more of a discussion. It is people venting who have reason to be bullshit. I was more forgiving in my previous post but then I never believed in GOG the way I think some people have. Maybe it is a cultural thing. I am so used to companies screwing consumers in the United States that I trust none of them, not even ones I like. They don't care about me. Not one of them. It's all about the money. The rest is just marketing spin and bullshit - every fucking time.

It is nothing against TET personally or any GOG employee as human beings. They are just folks working at a job like the rest of people, doing the best they can there. But how can you believe a fucking thing they say now? I never did to begin with to be honest. I am well used to being screwed.
I did trust GOG. It seemed as if there was one bastion of integrity out there and I fell for it, wanted to believe it, living in a country that's run by corporations that don't give a damn about anything but the almighty dollar. Should have known better, shouldn't I?
Posted February 23, 2014
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ydobemos: There is no "necessity", no "have to", about it. They have chosen to accept it. Now, you might call that a Hobson's choice because the alternative was being able to release certain games at all, and maybe that's true (though, I would remark, we still don't know what particular games, if any, this surrender was needed for, let alone whether they will make such a monumental difference to GOG's market share as seems to be hoped). But in that case, as I've already said, GOG should have refused to sell them with price discrimination.

Why? Because this will fatally undermine GOG's unique selling point. The reason GOG was able to become the second-biggest online games vendor in the world is that a large number (a minority, but a significant one) of gamers were so fed up with the unfair practices of its competitors such as Steam, particular DRM and international price discrimination, that they wouldn't buy from them or at least would much rather buy from GOG, and that number was and is growing - slowly, but still growing. By not letting their games be sold here because they insisted upon DRM and/or regional pricing, publishers were missing out on a large amount of money. The way for GOG to get them to release their games on consumer-friendly terms was to hold out, refuse to abandon their principles and wait for more and more publishers to get fed up with not being able to sell their games at all to a large and growing number of gamers, so they decided they'd rather sell them on terms they don't like (i.e. fair, ethical ones) than not at all.

Now GOG has made that much less likely to happen. You know that Regional Rip-Off video, the old "fair price" bit on the site banner, the old news announcement where GOG declares it will have failed if it ever abandons any of its principles including the "one world, one price" policy, and all the other embarrassing reminders that people keep posting in this thread? Well, we, the customers, aren't the only ones to remember all that - publishers do so too. And now they've seen that GOG is willing to abandon at least one of those hitherto inviolable principles. After this decision - even if GOG does attract more publishers and more games by allowing regional pricing - in future, if someone says, "You can sell this game, but only with [some sort of DRM, probably one of the less awful ones like a one-time verification - at least the first time]", and GOG says, "Never - DRM-free and that's not negotiable," do you think the publisher will take them seriously now that they've already given up on one 'core value'?
For me personally, being DRM-free is GOG's unique selling point. Pricing was never a factor, since I could almost always get the same games cheaper elsewhere. The only difference is that GOG provides them DRM-free and if GOG ever compromises on that then I'll never buy anything here again.

Anyway you need to think strategically about this. Keeping their worldwide pricing policy, GOG was asking for the bigger publishers to accept two major changes in the way they do business.

One is something they can change pretty much at whim, the other is something that is out of their hands unless they're willing to forfeit a lot of retail sales, or use an unreasonably high worldwide price for digital sales.

GOG evidently has an opportunity to release some big name/AAA games here DRM-free - something which could be a very big deal and if successful could lead to DRM-free releases of brand new games from the major publishers becoming more common. When was the last time a major release wasn't tied into Steam/Origin/UPlay or used some other DRM scheme like SecuROM, Starforce or TAGES?

The downside though is that to be able to offer these games DRM-free, they'll have to sacrifice their worldwide pricing policy. Ultimately they decided furthering their DRM-free goal was most important and that this was a big enough opportunity to warrant sacrificing their worldwide pricing policy.

You are right though that we don't yet know which games they have signed up and other details are still very lacking, so it's a bit early to say about how much of a difference they'll make. But I trust that GOG wouldn't have taken such a decision lightly (and will still push for worldwide/fair pricing as hard as they can), and hope they did this because they felt this was a big enough deal to sacrifice worldwide pricing and not just for money.

So let's wait and see for now...
Posted February 23, 2014
I do feel deeply, I do, for everyone who will be hit with the regional pricing scheme. It's as clear as day, that it's more often than not implemented in the most terrible way possible, fleecing customers out of their cash to line a main developer/publisher's pocket.

However, I can't say that I'm as extremely bummed out by the news, as DRM-Free has always been my main draw. To own what you paid for, the basis of any honest transaction. At the very least, no matter the cost, you can always do something about the goods you have control over. So naturally, I've hoped that not only classic games, but current and future games will be sold here DRM-Free.

Thus, it leaves me torned. GOG could easily flip back on their word, after doing something like this, right? But, TET's explanations, after reading them, have honestly left me feeling more assured. And thinking about it from a business point of view, it makes sense.

In order for GOG to compete, it has to offer something that you can't find at Steam, and the only constant is DRM-Free, not so much one world-pricing, sadly. Many people are certainly unhappy about the loss of GOG's one world-pricing today, but during the years when it was there, have people stuck by it? In my opinion, which could be wrong, the answer is "no".

Every-time there is a sale, bundle, promotion or discount elsewhere, going for a very good rate, do people go, "No! I'm not buying or taking up this fabulous deal, because GOG has one world-pricing, so I will hang around and wait for either the same discounts to appear, if it ever does, or so kindly opt to stubbornly buy this game at a higher rate later, when I've got more money."

No, doesn't happen period. People will shop there and GOG loses out on the sale. There is nothing wrong with that of course. We as consumers got the right to freely shop where we like. But from a business point, one-world pricing is sure as hell not keeping the customers exclusively here really.

DRM-Free alternatively is. The only time I've heard people proclaiming aloud they'd wait months to just shop here at GOG, nowhere else, is so that they can get a DRM-Free copy of a game. Or, in the case of Europeans, proper language/uncensored versions. If GOG were smart, they'd want to keep the latter advantage. So, I can see why GOG is partially ditching one world-pricing in selective cases in favor of DRM-Free, and how incredibly asinine it'd be to ever turn around on DRM-Free.

Overall, I do have faith in GOG, they've always been more heart. I shall adopt a "wait-and-see" approach before deciding to throw away that faith.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by Nicole28
Posted February 23, 2014
I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be as outraged over this if it were the price to pay to get LucasArts, or the original System Shock, or some other highly requested classic game.
Posted February 23, 2014
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keeveek: At this moment, Humble Store has everything better than you. Ok, they are not always DRM free, but usually they have more different formats than you as well. Linux or android versions for the price of one.

Good luck, GOG. I hardly bought anything frmo you lately anyway...
Riiiight, now let me see:

1. ) "Humble" Store has a lot of games that can only be played through steam, even for some games available DRM free on GOG (System Shock 2 for instance)
2) No community since the silenced their forums.
3) Extremely bad customer service (I haven't heard from a request for 4(!) months now)
4) No way of ordering your games.
5) Putting gifts you ordered in your face, pre-checked and all which will redeem to your *own* account without any possibility for a refund and showing up as many time as you have "bought" the game in your list to add injury to insult.

I do agree on the Linux (and sometimes Android) version availability though and the first bundle even had the source code included for some games.
Their Humble *indie* bundles can be fantastic though, *if* they are not comprised of 90% rehashes that is.

Desura would be a great alternative if they would have had a reliable client and a total reboot of their website (seriously that abomination is hardly usable) . Plus, they carry a lot of worthless games and hardly have any interesting sales to speak of.
They do have an interesting community, which will frequently feature comments from the game makers themselves.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by jorlin
Posted February 23, 2014
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Lemon_Curry: I wouldn't touch Steam with a bargepole (or a lit pitchfork for that matter).
Loled at this.
After I couldn't install Skyrim within 3 hours from the DVD because of steam, I "pitchforked" the Skyrim Steel Box. Literally.


Never been so angry.
Posted February 23, 2014
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adamhm: For me personally, being DRM-free is GOG's unique selling point.
Same here. I'll most likely continue to be their customer for a good while as long as they offer that. With other folks it's not as important. We all have our own circumstances and priorities, but DRM-free is what brought me here. The goodies are gravy.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by JohnnyDollar
Posted February 23, 2014
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gibbeynator: I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be as outraged over this if it were the price to pay to get LucasArts, or the original System Shock, or some other highly requested classic game.
The sensible among us would, I hope be just as outraged. I can't believe the people in this thread who consider that there could be games worth abandoning principles for. There's always another way to get them, whether it's steam or ebay.





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Lemon_Curry: I wouldn't touch Steam with a bargepole (or a lit pitchfork for that matter).
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GothaBlutauge: Loled at this.
After I couldn't install Skyrim within 3 hours from the DVD because of steam, I "pitchforked" the Skyrim Steel Box. Literally.

Never been so angry.
Just type the code in and let steam download it if you don't want to deal with the DVD.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by graspee
Posted February 23, 2014
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GothaBlutauge: Loled at this.
After I couldn't install Skyrim within 3 hours from the DVD because of steam, I "pitchforked" the Skyrim Steel Box. Literally.

Never been so angry.
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graspee: Just type the code in and let steam download it if you don't want to deal with the DVD.
I think what he/she means is that it was only after purchasing it that he/she discovered Steam was involved.
Posted February 23, 2014
as long it does not become (thanks to Steam):

39,99 USD -> 39,99 EUR, I am okay with that.
Posted February 23, 2014
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Lemon_Curry: I wouldn't touch Steam with a bargepole (or a lit pitchfork for that matter).
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GothaBlutauge: Loled at this.
After I couldn't install Skyrim within 3 hours from the DVD because of steam, I "pitchforked" the Skyrim Steel Box. Literally.

Never been so angry.
You can call yourself truly blessed then if that is really true. I reserve my peak of anger for circumstances that hit people I care about or myself outside of mere entertainment gripes.
Then again, if I find a better solution than a display of anger, I will go for that solution instead.
Though I wish you all the best and I hope that this will remain your ultimate cause for anger during your entire life.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by jorlin
Posted February 23, 2014
Waiting for the old games to appear.
Posted February 23, 2014
high rated
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N3xtGeN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6P3yOTR2Vc&t=1194
Thanks a lot for the link. What an interesting talk and Q&A!

A few quotes from the session:

(Guillaume Rambourg at 19:55)
Something which is really important if you want to be human: follow your principles. You know when we started GOG we had a clear vision what we wanted to achieve. […] You know when you start a business it’s really easy at the beginning to be you know scared that ’hey I have to find clients; I have to find money; how will I make it?’ So it’s really easy to accept some deals which walk against your principles. We were always stubborn and we stood for our principles because if we respect ourselves; if we respect the GOG model then we get respect from the human beings who buy from us. So it’s all about being consistent.
(Marcin Iwiński at 28:00)
… it can be viral on the good side and it can be viral on the bad side. We didn’t have major fuck-ups on the bad side so far - thanks God – but we might have in the future so the first thing is to react fast see that you’ve made this mistake and say that you’re sorry. That’s really really important and I would say a lot of big companies could learn this in the gaming industry especially.
(Marcin Iwiński at 30:12)
The moment we’ll betray our values the whole GOG will explode and that’s the end of it.
(Marcin Iwiński at 39:51)
We are getting into new games. We are getting where they [Steam] are. Of course it’s difficult […] because they are very good at what they are doing and they are gamers and they love their users. That’s why Steam is no. 1. […] We just want to deliver them very similar content but with our experience; freedom of choice, flat prices worldwide and treating customers fair. Steam go really deep in terms of regionalising the content, locking certain countries and then in certain countries you can buy [or] you cannot buy. This creates a lot of frustration and still Steam is extremely US focused.
(Guillaume Rambourg at 40:41)
It’s funny because sometimes we have interviews with the press and they ask us ’Is GOG going to be the new Steam?’ And we reply ’No because we want to be the main alternative to Steam. We don’t want to copy. We don’t want to imitate. We want to be different.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)