I can't speak for others, but I like GOG having GOG exclusives, and I would also be happy to see any other DRM-free exclusives on other DRM-free stores (read: not Steam, not Epic). For me, it is about owning a game DRM-free, moreso than having everything "conveniently" on one store let alone one launcher. GOG happens to be the absolute pinnacle for my tastes and needs as a gamer, in ways that other DRM-free stores aren't. I also view GOG as having the best shot for DRM-free gaming to gain more marketing penetration.

With that in mind, I actually think it's a great thing for GOG to have a game like Diablo as an exclusive. With this Phoenix Point, at least it appears to be getting a DRM-free version here later down the line. That is more than I can say for like 95% of the games available to "purchase" on Steam's monopoly rental service. Part of the reason that there aren't complaints on GOG about GOG exclusivity is because it pales in comparison to the number of games which are "DRM-exclusive" on Steam, Epic, Origin, et al.

i thought diablo was also on battle.net, then again exclusivity doesnt matter for old games like diablo because it already got its money and revenue years ago, so if it comes out on here, doesnt change the fact that the game sold like hotcakes.

The exclusivity matters for GOG's place in the market, not for the fact it gives some more money to Blizzard. Having a game like Diablo is a big deal here and the sales numbers clearly indicate there was a rabid demand for this.

Edit: I don't know if it is available on Battlenet too, but it is DRM-free here, and to my knowledge that was never the case with Diablo 1 on Battlenet.

Bad move Julian, bad move epic...

I suggest getting a refund. I nothing else, it will demonstrate that you as a customer are not willing to accept them moving the goalposts after they've got your money. Plus, it will take money out of their pockets right now. I'd also suggest waiting until it finally appears on GOG, and since you'll have already waited for a year, wait a little longer for a good discount. Then buy, and e-mail the devs and point out that you bought it at a steep discount, thus they made far less money than they would have if they'd just fulfilled their promises in the first place. There's not much else you can do. But I personally am going to wait and wait an wait until I can grab the full edition of this game for less than 10 bucks. Not that I think it will make fuck-all difference to them, but if enough of us do it, maybe they'll actually notice.

Not keeping their promise (for you to have a specific game on a specific platform) IS screwing you over. Even THQ didn't do that with Metro Exodus.

Not the same thing: Thronebreaker is a CDPR production, so the ( temporary ) GOG exclusivity was hardly shocking. As far as I know, it wasn't crowd-funded, either. And as for the lack of complaints, where were you looking? I suspect plenty of people complained about it, at Steam or other distribution platforms.

There were "familiar statements of disdain" when Thronebreaker was announced on Steam.:P

I remember getting interested in it and considering backing it when it got some inofficial promotion here on gog. Glad I did not; what a big douchebag move.

Both him and epic could crash & burn for all I care.

I'm not back but this is OK for me. 1 year of additionally waiting is not so much. Game will be more polished. And GoG is still one of their planned platform. Im fine with that.

Diablo is not really a GOG exclusive though:-

https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Diablo#Availability

I still have (and can still re-buy) the retail discs of both Diablo 1 & 2 and there are official DRM-removal patches (patch +1.12 for D2), no-CD's and community compatibility mods that allow DRM-Free play of both games in HD resolutions. Same goes with many other "GOG only" games, eg, Beneath A Steel Sky, FOTAQ, etc, can be downloaded directly from ScummVM. NWN2, Theme Park, etc, can still be sourced on disc and the DRM be patched out as can many other pre-2004 titles that are on GOG but not Steam. If "exclusive" means "you literally can't source it from anywhere else", then the list of genuine GOG exclusives (eg, Gwent) is far smaller than some "games sold on GOG but not Steam" lists imply given there are still a lot of options for obtaining retail releases particularly of pre-2004 games...

I'm surprised anybody but the profiting parties themselves or people planning similar stunts can even be remotely OK with that.

It says its OK to take all this money from the people to crowdfund something and with that money gain the foundation to get the interest of a company rich enough to cover any possible refunds for the new direction the original funders might not have given their money for; for no other reason but more money.

Just because others had made this dickmove in the past its no reason to not be outraged; roast the hell out of the scum involved and if one did spend (big) money on the original funding to eventually even look out for some legal obstacles he could place.

Screw Epic store and dishonest publishers/developers.

I'm relived that I don't participate in the system, as it seems to be getting worse these days as to what stunts people will pull. You can expect that something will simply be "edited" somewhere. If you are lucky, it's not a deal-breaker in any way. For others, it could be a big deal. Of course, people are free to back starters when they like, but I'm glad I'm a tad risk-averse about it.

And these Epic dirt bags are ridiculous. What is wrong with using that fortnite money to build a great store that actually rivals Steam and then market it as a go-to place? Instead, they force games (that they did not make) to be tied to their store, refusing to allow the game to be bought anywhere else for a long period of time. And if being forced isn't bad enough, Epic could at least provide you a stellar service to make it worth the while of being forced. But instead? You get a lousier client and game eco-system where everything is stripped bare of as much features as possible. As a bonus, you get "rewarding" security leaks, lack of a decent customer service (from refunds to support). It took till people started complaining, for Epic to begrudgingly add features and fix things that needed mending. From what I heard, it's due to the 12% cut being on the figure end of low.

They could have gone the honest way, but they purposely choose to be utter scumbags. Games could be sold equally, where you can get a key from Steam, GOG or Epic, but no.

It is still false advertisement and is handled by the FTC.
Refunds aren't enough by themselves.

I recommend anyone in the US affected by this lodge a complaint with the Federal Trade Comission.

They didn't pay for it. They donated to a campaign. One of the rewards may be a copy, but it is certainly NOT paying for the game.