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General discussionThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Digital Premium Edition to be DRM-Free only on GOG.com(113 posts)(113 posts)
(113 posts)
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Posted March 14, 2011
We're happy to announce GOG's version of highly-anticipated RPG will not contain DRM as all other downloadable versions will.

With the exception from the "good, old games" rule by offering The Witcher 2, we wanted to transfer all the GOG values to a new AAA title. Thanks to a close cooperation with our sister company CD Projekt RED, the developer of The Witcher franchise, we've managed to get the best deal for the digital edition of the game. With today's announcement of GOG's version being the only one fully DRM-free in digital download, the deal gets even more unrivaled! We stated from the very beginning, DRM isn't an efficient way to combat piracy and we mean it.

But wait, there's even more cool stuff about The Witcher 2 on GOG. For all users who preorder the game on GOG, we'll host a live video Q&A on Ustream with Senior Producer of The Witcher 2, Tomasz Gop. The Q&A will take place on Friday, March 18th, at 17:00 GMT and during the Q&A, Tomasz will be revealing some exclusive “Making of the new Geralt” concept art and discussing the changes in the fighting mechanic from the original game.

How do you get access to the Q&A? That's easy, everyone who preorders The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on GOG.com by noon GMT on Thursday the 17th will receive a link and a password that will allow them to take part in the session and ask questions about The Witcher 2 and GOG.com. Everyone whose questions get answered will receive one coupon for a free GOG game.
Posted March 15, 2011
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orcishgamer: You do realize even with this setback what they're doing is still huge, right? GG files sometimes have DRM on them, GOG files never do. Yeah they screwed up (or GG did by saying DRM free before it was completely settled) but so did you. To save 20% (what 10 bucks at most?) you ordered somewhere else than GOG, you realize buying it here gives CD Projeckt nearly 100% of the revenue, right? They loose 30% or more to GG or elsewhere.

Now if you'd really wanted a boxed version, okay, that I understand, but you just sold out GOG for essentially the same digital version. Now that it'll have DRM, you're upset. You might be legitimately morally outraged, but I doubt it. If you are, you're overreacting. Of course, you don't have to buy it, it's a video game. I've lived this long without playing Half Life 2.
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Stiler: Some of us do have budgets we have to manage, house bills, internet, cars, etc. When I can get the game for 20% less it's a matter of saving money, while still supporting them.

Yes I understand gog is closer to them and it cuts out a middle man, but still I have to save money where I can.

Up until now CD Projekt said it wasn't going to have DRM. D2D listed it as no DRM as well. Now they bring up that it will cept on gog.

I'm sorry if you think I "sold out" gog to save money, I was buying it from a store and MY MONEY was going to go to them, not all of it but most of it.
Well, if the 10 bucks matters to your budget then it matters to your budget, fair enough. I don't know why it changed, but I'm fairly certain we have GOG to thank for still having one, DRM free option for buying it. That's how I look at it, at least.

And so no one thinks I'm 100% on GOG's side here, I'll call a spade a spade when I see one: The threat to sue filesharers by the people at CD Projeckt did nothing to endear me to them, that is BS and it's counterproductive. I know I'm asking you guys to put your income and your family on the line somewhat, but give it a shot, it's worked for others, it will work for you.
Posted March 15, 2011
If you want someone to blame for the DRM thing, look no further than Atari and Namco. CD Projekt has said time and again that DRM is desided by the publisher and not the developer. The only reason the GOG version remain DRM free is because it is fully owned by CD Projekt, and so the publishers have no say here.

Yes, it sucks. CD Projekt knows that as well as anyone, but it is out of their hands. As I said before, it is at least better to have one DRM free version than none.
Posted March 15, 2011
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Skystrider:
Valve said the only thing... I'll stop here.

Whatever though, I won't be buying it until it goes on a big sale on Amazon.
Posted March 15, 2011
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Skystrider:
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KavazovAngel: Valve said the only thing... I'll stop here.

Whatever though, I won't be buying it until it goes on a big sale on Amazon.
PM me what you are speaking of if you'd prefer not to post it here, I'm curious.
Posted March 15, 2011
As far as I can remember, CDP never promised the game would be DRM-Free, except for GOG's version. At least that's what I recall from their announcement.
Posted March 15, 2011
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orcishgamer:
I stopped because I HAVE TO STUDY! :D Hahah, exam week, and yet I "sleep" on the laptop, when I should be studying.

Anyway, they said how DRM only hurts the customer, and how the need to reward their customers, and how they try not to use "too much" DRM, and what else not. Yet they force you to use the client.

Anyway x2... I'm kind of getting too old for this "you betrayed your fans / we will sue you if you crack it / DRM protects out property" crap. If you don't want DRM, either crack it, pirate it, or don't bother with the game at all.

ITS JUST ONE GAME. YOU WON'T BE MISSING ANYTHING.

Oh, and 10 bucks that the GOG distribution will be available on a very known forum, or a neighboring tracker a day or two after release. So releasing the game DRM-free only here or worldwide has no difference in the long run.
Posted March 15, 2011
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KavazovAngel: Oh, and 10 bucks that the GOG distribution will be available on a very known forum, or a neighboring tracker a day or two after release. So releasing the game DRM-free only here or worldwide has no difference in the long run.
Well, true, but even so, I'll still pay for it, and that's really the point, isn't it? GOG can release it DRM free and still make money; it will be pirated, it would have been anyway.

I'm with you on some of the things I read in interviews, inappropriate and not at all keeping with what draws people to GOG in the first place.

Do we have to use the client? I wasn't aware of that. I keep reading about people downloading the game already, perhaps they are preloading files and I'm just a moron and didn't know we could.
Posted March 15, 2011
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orcishgamer:
I was referring to Valve (for the client stuff). Even if you use offline mode, which sometimes works, but sometimes it doesn't, it will still call home once in a while to check whether you are a legitimate customer.
Posted March 15, 2011
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Dragobr: As far as I can remember, CDP never promised the game would be DRM-Free, except for GOG's version. At least that's what I recall from their announcement.
I recall GOG making a statement to the effect of GOG being the only place they could guarantee being DRM-free.

Regardless, this isn't good news, and I don't appreciate the GOG team acting like it is.
Posted March 15, 2011
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orcishgamer:
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KavazovAngel: I was referring to Valve (for the client stuff). Even if you use offline mode, which sometimes works, but sometimes it doesn't, it will still call home once in a while to check whether you are a legitimate customer.
Oh well, yeah, that's one of the reasons I think Steam blows. Few people believe me when I tell them Offline Mode doesn't always let you play offline, but oh well.
Posted March 15, 2011
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orcishgamer: Oh well, yeah, that's one of the reasons I think Steam blows. Few people believe me when I tell them Offline Mode doesn't always let you play offline, but oh well.
I was pretty bemused when the Steam client kept trying to establish an Internet connection to launch itself in offline mode. I hadn't even been offline for more than a day - I just didn't have an Internet connection at night.
Posted March 15, 2011
Figured i might as well pre-order, game looks interesting and my pc can actually run it. plus no DRM and support for GOG is a plus.
Posted March 15, 2011
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GOG.com: How do you get access to the Q&A? That's easy, everyone who preorders The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings on GOG.com by noon GMT on Thursday the 17th will receive a link and a password that will allow them to take part in the session and ask questions about The Witcher 2 and GOG.com.
I have not received the e-mail yet. I take it then that it will only be sent AFTER March 17th?
Posted March 15, 2011
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KavazovAngel: 5 bucks that you'll see the DRM cracked in a day or two of the game's release, so I don't really see a point why the DRM would make someone not to buy the physical copy when he wants to.
I'll take that bet, largely because there's also going to be a DRM free version doing the rounds: specifically, GOG's version. Why try harder?

Ultimately, with this decision, I think CD Projekt has severely reduced any potential for DRM-less policies to spread amongst A+ level games. The vast majority of Witcher 2 piracy will probably be the GOG version (why try harder?) and therefore the publisher will blame CD Projekt for releasing it DRM free if The Witcher 2 gets heavily pirated. Worst case scenario: the publishers insist on DRM for a theoretical Witcher 3.

Also, I'll put no money down until I know the DRM for the retail version.
Posted March 15, 2011
Based on this older article on Witcher 2, which is the article I alluded to in my previous post, Atari most likely forced CD Projekt to put DRM into the game, but since Atari didn't want to use an 'Ubisoft DRM'-like DRM method, CD Projekt accepted the change. This would explain the announcement of GOG.com being the only site to recieve the DRM-free version of Witcher 2.
Also, let me ask a question which should, hopefully, enlighten people on my view on all this:

If Witcher 2 was only to be released on GOG.com from the beginning, would the target audience (potentially not the majority of people who buy from GOG.com) think of GOG.com's catalouge of games, and thus GOG.com by association, as 'retro' (a good denotation of 'old'), or would they think of it as 'decrepit'? If Witcher 2's target audience believed GOG.com was 'decrepit', then I could easily imagine them attaching the same lack of worth to Witcher 2, which would effectively turn the game into something it isn't in the public's eye - a game which isn't worth buying. Could this view be overcome by word-of-mouth? I honestly don't know.

EDIT: I just looked at Impulse's page for Witcher 2, and it says the game will use SecuROM.
Post edited March 15, 2011 by Expack
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General discussionThe Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Digital Premium Edition to be DRM-Free only on GOG.com(113 posts)(113 posts)
(113 posts)
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