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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. :)
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Darvond: I'll be passing out DRM free torches and pitchforks
Are those regional priced? :)
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hedwards: That's absolutely ridiculous. The reason why I used to respect GOG was that they took a principled stance on things.
Anyone can have "a principled stance", but not everyone can get stuff done.

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hedwards: Also, your example isn't even remotely analogous to the situation here. For years, they used region-free pricing as a corner stone of their values.
It IS remotely analogous. Just because they no longer claim to ALWAYS stick to a single global price, it doesn't mean that EVERYTHING will be subject to regionalization. It's likely that some things will, some won't. We'll have to wait and see. Actions speak louder than words here - we might end up better off, we might not.
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stoicsentry: When you see the new batch of games show up, just remember: THOSE are the ones to blame for the regional pricing shift. Prediction with that point in mind: they won't sell well.
If they don't, I doubt it will have anything to do with regional pricing. There might be a lot of people giving their opinion in opposition to regional pricing but that doesn't mean they're the majority. IMHO most people either care about it but not enough to comment, and it may or may not affect their purchasing, or they don't care at all. Many topics of discussion can appear lopsided because a vocal minority appears disenfranchised while a non-vocal minority... well... are non-vocal mostly. :)

Of course that's just a hypothesis and I have no idea whatsoever either way. I could be completely bonkers wrong too, but that's just my gut feeling.
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Darvond: I'll be passing out DRM free torches and pitchforks
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Novotnus: Are those regional priced? :)
As I said, you'll be paying 3 credits, no matter where you live. This includes Brazil, where if regional pricing were used, you'd be taxed to death.
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gibbeynator: GOG did a survey around a year ago, asking people about putting limited DRM in games in an attempt to bring in some newer releases. We said no, and they said "we super duper pinkie promise to only sell DRM-filled games if they have some kind of offline mode". Not sure what happened afterwards, but it was surveyed alongside Early Access, and that's supposed to be coming sometime this year.
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TheEnigmaticT: We decided it was a terrible idea, but we wanted to gauge the community interest about it in general. The community actually didn't seem to mind it, which is interesting, but we decided in the end it's not right for us.
But GOG has some kinda ''early access'' games in its library, right?
From what I see here, there is a lot of hate towards regional pricing. Well, my two cents on that.

As long as the regional pricing does not affect games "owned" by gog (the old titles basically, that no one else is selling right now) I don't really mind. Sure, being a European I'd like to get new games cheaper, but the price will basically be the same as on Steam. And I'll have a game that is free of DRM, up to date and more importantly - I will have access to proper customer support. Refunds policies anyone? Steam doesn't have them. Heck, the hated Origin has better refunds policy than Steam. So there are still things that make gog great and my platform of choice to buy games. If they'll start adding new releases and they will be interesting for me - I'll buy them.
First, GOG backtracked on its core values and started selling games with 3rd party DRM (CD-key activation) "just for the multiplayer" aspect.
Second, GOG started selling unfinished games that still need patches and fixes.
Third, GOG started selling DLC.
Fourth, GOG is now implementing regional prices. Region locking is inevitable and soon to follow, how else would GOG enforce the regional prices?

All this was for
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.
How long till GOG gives up completely on the DRM-Free requirement? [sarcasm]All for the sake of more games for its users, naturally.[/sarcasm]
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GabiMoro: snip
Regional pricing is not about VAT. ;)
It's always the same story:

It's a step back for a greater step forward later...

... but currently nobody knows if that step forward will be worth it.

However, I thought that the "One world, one price", was a great philosophy to defend.


Naev.
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haydenaurion: So will gog be able to get more older games because of this change?
Well, it'd be a new pricing option for publishers and if a publisher has chosen to not bring a title here because it wasn't an option, it would be one now so the possibility would exist that didn't before in theory whether a game is new or old. Maybe now they can bring Smashing Pumpkins Into Small Piles of Putrid Debris to GOG!
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Impaler26: It's sad to see regional pricing coming to GOG! :(

I hope the games from those "big publishers" are worth it (somewhat at least)...
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TheEnigmaticT: Divinity: Original Sin is an example of the kind of game we're talking about; it's already launched on Steam for early access with regional pricing, and it wouldn't be very fair of Larian to give our EU and UK users a better value for the game if they buy it from GOG.com later as opposed to Steam now.
Sorry, T, I don't envy your position but I certainly hope you don't believe the utter CRAP that has been coming out of your mouth. Make sure you brush your teeth, yuck.

The people here that you want to keep are the ones that don't buy games anywhere else because we have loyalty to the principles that you have established. Regional pricing is one of those principles. It sets you guys apart. Many of us have a big-enough back-catalog on games that we don't care when Steam releases it or what other distributors are doing. Stick to the high-ground that you have set yourselves upon. Wait for prices to homogenize, then sell them here. If you can break one core tenant, you can break them all.

This makes me really displeased with Larian, but more so it makes me lose all faith in you guys. I have principles and integrity, I thought you guys had it too. What ever happened with giving the community a chance to voice their opinions before some big change comes through, like when you wanted to offer DLC sold separately and season passes? I'd like to think that if the discussion on those issues had gone differently, you would not be selling that stuff right now. I'd like to think that our voices matter. This makes me think the opposite. That the poll and discussions on those other matters was just all show, and that now you don't even care enough to put on the show anymore.

It smells really bad in here.
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Darvond: As I said, you'll be paying 3 credits, no matter where you live. This includes Brazil, where if regional pricing were used, you'd be taxed to death.
I'm already taxed to un-death :)
Tax Freedom Day 2013, US: Apr 18
Tax Freedom Day 2013, Poland: Jun 22
:)
At first the Humble Store and now GOG, I smell a conspiracy.
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groze: All I ask is for you to think about it: sure, it's a compromise, but isn't it worth it, if it means finally getting our favorite games in here?
Big fat no. I would use bold and caps but that's kind of annoying so I won't.

I repeat myself, but having a game here means nothing by itself. It means something because GOG is what it is, and if it has to stop being what it is for the game to be here, then the game being here is pointless.

If GOG talks to Disney and it turns out that to sell LA games they need to implement regional pricing, I'll be the first to clap. Or Sega games not available in Japan, or whatever other restriction. However, we're talking about new releases here. Chances are the new release is released DRM-free here, in HB and in GG; so the question isn't "if you want it DRM-free, GOG needs to have regional pricing" but "if GOG wants a piece of the sales money of a new game, it needs to implement regional pricing". Which is perfectly fine for a business, don't get me wrong, but those aren't good news for us. And the risk of regional pricing spilling and being applied to other games (including classics) isn't negligible.
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Impaler26: It's sad to see regional pricing coming to GOG! :(

I hope the games from those "big publishers" are worth it (somewhat at least)...
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TheEnigmaticT: Divinity: Original Sin is an example of the kind of game we're talking about; it's already launched on Steam for early access with regional pricing, and it wouldn't be very fair of Larian to give our EU and UK users a better value for the game if they buy it from GOG.com later as opposed to Steam now.
I don't see how having a single, worldwide price is somehow unfair to anyone.