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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. :)
Gog you might want to release some examples of the regional differences in price that your clients have in mind. That way people can judge for themselves if the price is fair or not. The best thing you can do gog is to be transparent and honest with us even if the NDA may forbid what the specific games are.
I am disappointed with the introduction/continued practice of regional pricing on GOG, and expect that it will affect my decision to purchase (or not) on GOG in the future, at least in those cases where it is applied.
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Ichwillnichtmehr: I'm a Kickstarter backer too, and you can still change between Larian Vault/GOG.com/Steam on your backer page.
And what exactly would that accomplish? Divinity: Original Sin is already regionally priced everywhere.


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adamhm: snip

I'm certain it'll never happen. DRM-free is GOG's main selling point and the reason behind their decision to accept regional pricing. It's the main thing that sets them apart from other distributors. For this reason I don't see them ever compromising on it. Plus, if they did ever compromise on their stance on DRM, what would that really accomplish? If any DRM gets accepted then we all might as well just run off to Steam - that would be far more convenient at least.

snip
I encourage you to read my post once more - everything you say applies to today, but could change under certain circumstances. I'm not playing prophet here saying that the worst is on its way, but I'm going to watch how things play out - on all fronts.
I'm a DRM-free believer and advocate, I sure hope nth related to DRM-free will ever change, but GOG is after all and above all a for-profit entity that has already demonstrated how it adapts to global standards if that's going to promote its business.
It's not unthinkable that some time in the future they may assess that conditions on multiple levels and fronts are ripe enough to ditch the DRM-free Revolution if that is going to promote their business more or best.
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Telika: You know, I like GOG for many aspects. But... you people are currently arguing about "fair pricing" with a company that kinda presents its prices like "only nine dollars and one hundred cents". ...
In the end it's probably a joke. All that hassle to introduce a working region detection and selection system, just to charge customers from one region $8 and from another $9. If the customers from the second region offset the higher price by buying less, was it really worth it? Still making them feeling like they get ripped off always by a small percentage. I'm not sure.

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Reever: ...hope the pricing's fair ...
I think it cannot be fair by definition because as soon as the prices are variable the poor guy in a rich region is always a loser and the rich guy in a poor region the beneficiary. The question would be more like what system is fairer than others. There I'm not sure. Worldwide flat prices has a lot that speaks for it, not at last its simpleness.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by Trilarion
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Stoibs: Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Never had to use a VPN on GOG before... maybe I'll just boycott you and buy cheaper steam keys of these elsewhere though... -_-

EDIT: Also holy shit, you guys had the audacity to start this post off with "Good News!"
Really..?
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Drerhu: Seriously...I don´t understand how people could have problems with this, but not with steam abussive regional pricing =_= (imho)
Did you miss the part where I specifically said steam 'KEYS'.... you know us Aussies etc can buy steam activated games from GreenManGaming, GamersGate, CJS, GetGames, Nuuvem, Amazon etc. etc. right... -_-
Who said I didn't have a problem with Steams shitty price gouging either?
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Pheace: Also, @ people asking why they didn't call a vote for this... seriously? We all know what the answer would have been, so does GOG. The answer was obvious, so they simply opted not to do it.
I think the answer to such difficult questions is never obvious. The active commentors are a small fraction of the total customer base of GOG. I prefer to have such numbers black on white.

But probably you are true. GOG feared that the result of a survey would be negative and anyway they had set their mind, so why asking if you don't want to ask anyway. Or maybe they're just too lazy.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by Trilarion
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Melhelix: If GOG continues to bring games WITHOUT the regional pricing, as well as with, I would be fine with the "don't like it, don't buy it" methodology. The problem is this sets a precedent. And in the business world, any time something is done once, it is done twice, and then three times, and then it becomes the majority while everything else becomes unusual, and then it simply becomes the standard with no other options. The reason people are crying that the house is on fire, is because they are looking towards the future and extrapolating out what is likely to happen with all the very, very similar prior experiences from other companies. Plus, this represents a perceived unhealthy shift in GOG's loyalties (away from the paying customer and towards either themselves, their parent company, or the IP owners). People are worried this is just the start, and again it is a worry based on prior experiences with other companies.
And this is what those saying “it doesn’t affect me, so I don’t care, lol” or “enough with the whining and bitching” don’t get. The concerns expressed are not baseless speculation, but pragmatic worries based on what’s been said by GOG (people, read he blue text, please) and experience with other companies.

Thanks for posting this and the support.

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Darvond: The staff have been surprisingly quiet as of late, I worry that a head or two may have gone rolling into a basket.
No rolling heads, it's just that TET's poker game ended a long time ago and he's having a family weekend now ;-P


EDIT: replaced "again" with "ago" to make sense
Post edited February 24, 2014 by HypersomniacLive
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HypersomniacLive: I encourage you to read my post once more - everything you say applies to today, but could change under certain circumstances. I'm not playing prophet here saying that the worst is on its way, but I'm going to watch how things play out - on all fronts.
I'm a DRM-free believer and advocate, I sure hope nth related to DRM-free will ever change, but GOG is after all and above all a for-profit entity that has already demonstrated how it adapts to global standards if that's going to promote its business.
It's not unthinkable that some time in the future they may assess that conditions on multiple levels and fronts are ripe enough to ditch the DRM-free Revolution if that is going to promote their business more or best.
I read your post fully. I still very much doubt it'll ever happen. DRM-free is basically GOG's identity and if they compromise on that even a little then they might as well just give up and become yet another Steam key reseller.
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JohnnyDollar: ... I would like to see what AAA launch day titles come here too. I may not even be interested in those 3 games, but I like the idea of big publishers using GOG as a DD for newly launched AAA titles, because I know that I'll be interested with what's offered eventually, and DRM-free is the reason.
Actually if GOG would have discovered that what's holding the big publishers and their AAA titles as well as back catalogues back was regional pricing and not DRM and they would bring all this to us in the near future.... I would forgive them. :)))
Well this is gonna end up exactly like this:http://www.steamprices.com/eu/topripoffs
But I don't mind because there will be a site just like this for GoG. And I will still buy with the best price.
I perfectly understand that this is the only way to be more popular with a broader range of puplishers, but regional pricing on digital products still remain to be a rip off!
Hope the releases are good then...but something tells me that they are not going to :(
But if this is the only thing that holds back the publishers like 2k, Bethesda and EA to release there games here !!! DRM-FREE !!! than I say go for it!
I mean there are tools for to handle those bad puplisher techniques ;)
Post edited February 23, 2014 by TheMechanist
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HypersomniacLive: No rolling heads, it's just that TET's poker game ended a long time again and he's having a family weekend now ;-P
I'm sorry for him - he'd been thrown into lions den with mission to calm the lions (and one giant zombie cat... and a Malus Catus... and many more) down.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by Novotnus
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Telika: You know, I like GOG for many aspects. But... you people are currently arguing about "fair pricing" with a company that kinda presents its prices like "only nine dollars and one hundred cents".

It's a decent company, compared to the usual standards, but GOG is not exactly your pals either. They're here to "sell" us stuff, in all the sense of the word...
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Crassmaster: I think this is a part of the reason for the backlash. Too many people decided that GOG was their buddy, rather than what they actually are...a store that wants to make money. Nothing wrong with that, and many stores have friendly staff that you might enjoy interacting with, but in the end they are a store. They aren't your friend. I've never understood why people attach themselves to a retailer like they're pals. You aren't. You're their customer. That's it. Making it more than that is just setting yourself up for disappointment.
well, you cant blame people that care about a company that have principles that are in favor of the consumers.
Those values are sadly getting fewer and fewer in todays world.
Some of it you can blame on consumers and some of it on the stores.
But people tend to like and respect people that stick to their principles at least they used to.
And frankly there is nothing wrong with that hadnt it been for code of honor and such means lesser and lesser for people as time goes on.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by Lodium
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JohnnyDollar: ... I would like to see what AAA launch day titles come here too. I may not even be interested in those 3 games, but I like the idea of big publishers using GOG as a DD for newly launched AAA titles, because I know that I'll be interested with what's offered eventually, and DRM-free is the reason.
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Trilarion: Actually if GOG would have discovered that what's holding the big publishers and their AAA titles as well as back catalogues back was regional pricing and not DRM and they would bring all this to us in the near future.... I would forgive them. :)))
Well, I guess that no DRM is more important to me than regional pricing, so I would do
probably the same, but regional pricing is bad policy and I hope that one day gog will be able to return to fair price.

Afterall the point of regional pricing is to make people buy games at retails stores for lower price, so developers get less (lower price and higher overheads). I guess that some distributors are as 'evil' as publishers.
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TheOperaGhost: That's racist and absurd.

Only slaves and tyrants are afraid of Liberty.
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Johnmourby: So am I a tyrant or a slave? Well since I'm just an art student with no worldly power I cannot be a tyrant. So I must be a slave?
isn't it strange then that I'm the one who isn't following the crowd blindly? A gaming villain once said a man choices, a slave obeys. Well I choose to show a little faith that GOG haven't turned into mindless drones of Corporate commander at the drop of a hat and listen if to us if we are persistent but polite.

As for claims of racism. Redneck aren't a race but a group of (mostly while) people who have chosen to live a certain way. Regardless I apologise to the Redneck community. But seriously it's the 21st century guys. If you hate taxes so much then you'd best move out of the US because if you want to live in developed country You have to put up with a government that will tax you for stuff.
Call me crazy. But I don't feel like a slave for having my Sister, Father, Step father and myself all still alive and well for using heath care. I'm glad to know you wish my sister and step-dad were rather dead than "slaves" to health care ;)
The argument is not taxes vs. no taxes nor health care vs. no health care. That's absurd, even for an art major.

The question is: What is the proper relationship between a government and its citizens? Does it exist to protect their rights, or do they exist to provide their "rulers" with power and position?

The American Creed declares that "all men are created equal [... and] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, government are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Government "gives" nothing. It takes from some -- through taxation, debt, and inflation -- and redistributes it to others in order to buy their votes. And they tell you that you're "doing it for the children."

You've exchanged your God-given freedom for a bowl of soup (or in this case, a band-aid), and you feel righteous about it.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by TheOperaGhost
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Johnmourby: So am I a tyrant or a slave? Well since I'm just an art student with no worldly power I cannot be a tyrant. So I must be a slave?
isn't it strange then that I'm the one who isn't following the crowd blindly? A gaming villain once said a man choices, a slave obeys. Well I choose to show a little faith that GOG haven't turned into mindless drones of Corporate commander at the drop of a hat and listen if to us if we are persistent but polite.

As for claims of racism. Redneck aren't a race but a group of (mostly while) people who have chosen to live a certain way. Regardless I apologise to the Redneck community. But seriously it's the 21st century guys. If you hate taxes so much then you'd best move out of the US because if you want to live in developed country You have to put up with a government that will tax you for stuff.
Call me crazy. But I don't feel like a slave for having my Sister, Father, Step father and myself all still alive and well for using heath care. I'm glad to know you wish my sister and step-dad were rather dead than "slaves" to health care ;)
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TheOperaGhost: The argument is not taxes vs. no taxes nor health care vs. no health care. That's absurd, even for an art major.

The question is: What is the proper relationship between a government and its citizens? Does it exist to protect their rights, or do they exist to provide their "rulers" with power and position?

The American Creed declares that "all men are created equal [... and] are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, government are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

Government "gives" nothing. It takes from some -- through taxation, debt, and inflation -- and redistributes it to others in order to buy their votes. And they tell you that you're "doing it for the children."

You've exchanged your God-given freedom for a bowl of soup (or in this case, a band-aid), and you feel righteous about it.
Take this rubbish somewhere else. This is a thread about regional pricing.