The recent layoffs doesn´t mean GOG is going to shut down, and I believe they would give us time to backup our games more considering this a non DRM place. So I should be CALM for this part.
What it doesn´t make me feel calm, is the fact itself GOG is maybe not going in the right direction, because I loved and still love this place. I been here since the very beginnin, my library is actuall near 1000 games, and my wishlist includes around 200 more titles.
I need to say i lost part of my interest in the website, I want to be constructive with my criticism because I really want this site to continue doing well, I am not inside GOG, or maybe not the biggest expert in the industry even if I been working for several very big and small publishers during my more than 10 years of experience. But I really want to throw here my two cents about this, both as a proffesional and more than that, as user. So here I go:
- I believe GOG.com started as a DIFFERENT thing, giving us something others did not, and I am not talking about the non DRM thing, I am talking about "good old games" before it was even a trend in other stores. This motto is partially GONE, I know a business NEEDs to GROW, and you need to go to more users, and I would need to go throw the numbers to analize what is happening here, but it worths to be checked.
- Collectors, I also believe GOG got a feature about collections, the library, that was LOST. We complained about this and most part of us been mocked, at the end we didn´t care much as live goes on, and business too, but it was a lost. I wonder if we could get back that feeling of "collecting" that extra goodies and that virtual library gave us time ago.
- Galaxy, is good, it works smoothly and was neccesary, but seems even EPIC has problems to beat Steam in their own terrain, so analize again what can Galaxy do better. Implementation of community mods more easily? The library we been talking about THERE and not in the website? Why not!?
- Mistakes from the past - The movies thing, remember the same ones that complained about the previous two things we said that would not make you have any revenue, was interesting? yes, but maybe we weren´t the right target. Check ideas (including mines or whoever) TWICE before going forward with them.
- Competition - it moves fast, is always devastating, and I need to say is not just GOG fault that I buy less games lately. I am not the best example of an user as I use all platforms, but my habits may launch some light here, as I am a "whale consumer":
a) Nintendo Switch absorved my whole interest for INDIE GAMES or mostly, Indie Games was probably a good idea here, I enjoyed many in GOG.com. But now we have more platforms for them, we lived the golden age of indie games, but probably we are already in a "bubble".
b) AAA games, I never or very rarely bought any AAA here as I always consume these games on PS4 or XBOX ONE even if I have 2 powerful PCs. I prefer consoles for these games.
c) Online Games, STEAM or Consoles, never here. But Galaxy cross-play features are interesting if GOG pushes these games here, somehow.
d) Good Old Games, again, I know is NOT enough to maintain this business with just this (How many of these titles you already published? How many of us like old games? questions to answer) , I know these games need your own expert QA and programming team to make them work in new systems, I know some licenses may be a pain, No One Lives Forever, Mechwarrior, even lost games as Heretic 2... but is still the main reason this Store made a difference at the very beginning.
I am not a GOG staff member, is your business, but I loved what you guys been doing all these years, with ups and downs as every business may have, I still buy games here even if lately less (may not be your fault as I said) , and I dont think at all GOG will dissapear, is just re-adjusting and I just wanted to express my, valuable, or not, feedback.
Best!
PD: I need to say that the last version of the website, specially the way that introduces sales, IS BAD, guys it is... try to check conversion rates comparing with previous versions. May throw light into this.
Post edited February 26, 2019 by YaTEdiGo