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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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wpegg: [ you've sold out on all but one policy.
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scampywiak: Wait a minute...what? Just how many policies have they sold out on? I want a list. The way i see it, we still get DRM free games, bonus stuff, good customer service. Aside from tacking regional prices on these specific games, what else have they sold out on?
I always thought they had 3 major points:

#1 *was* "Focusing on "good, old" games and
#2 *was* flat pricing and
#3 *is* DRM-free.
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wpegg: [ you've sold out on all but one policy.
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scampywiak: Wait a minute...what? Just how many policies have they sold out on? I want a list. The way i see it, we still get DRM free games, bonus stuff, good customer service. Aside from tacking regional prices on these specific games, what else have they sold out on?
$10 price ceiling.
Regional pricing
Only the best classic games (you may have wanted the change, but it was a policy many supported)

These were, after no drm, the main 3 GOG points in their early days.
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It's not out of your hands, GOG people. Daedalic's PR guys have openly stated that YOUR "difficult pricing policy" was the reason why some of their games got the German voices removed on gog.com. And international pricing is not "becoming the standard" around the globe. It HAS been the standard for decades already, and it was high time someone said that this_is_unfair and did something against it. Heck, you even made videos to that effect! Convincing ones! ;)

And all that for just THREE games in MONTHS to come? Unless you're partnering up with 2K, I have trouble seeing a reason for all of this. :(

Well, I'll wait and see, I guess. As always, thanks for announcing this so openly instead of letting us find out after the fact.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by Vainamoinen
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scampywiak: Wait a minute...what? Just how many policies have they sold out on? I want a list. The way i see it, we still get DRM free games, bonus stuff, good customer service. Aside from tacking regional prices on these specific games, what else have they sold out on?
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stoicsentry: I always thought they had 3 major points:

#1 *was* "Focusing on "good, old" games and
#2 *was* flat pricing and
#3 *is* DRM-free.
PC gamer quote directly from Guillaume Rambourg

"PC Gamer - Do you think trying to make GOG.com a digital distribution service for new
games will interfere with its original mission? It was a huge boon to GOG users when games from EA started appearing on the service. But now EA and GOG are
digital distribution competitors, are they not? Will that interfere with your ability to reach
agreements with publishers like EA?

Guillaume Rambourg: I think that calling what we’re doing a competition with services like Origin or Steam may be a bit misleading. We’re remaining true to our original mission of bringing DRM-free games to our users, adding in extra content, and keeping everything priced fairly across the whole world. This is the experience that a user gets when he or she comes to GOG.com, and that experience will remain unchanged. "

http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/2011/11/21/gog-director-explains-the-distributors-new-direction-how-good-old-principles-still-apply/
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stoicsentry: I always thought they had 3 major points:

#1 *was* "Focusing on "good, old" games and
#2 *was* flat pricing and
#3 *is* DRM-free.
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Ralackk: PC gamer quote directly from Guillaume Rambourg

"PC Gamer - Do you think trying to make GOG.com a digital distribution service for new
games will interfere with its original mission? It was a huge boon to GOG users when games from EA started appearing on the service. But now EA and GOG are
digital distribution competitors, are they not? Will that interfere with your ability to reach
agreements with publishers like EA?

Guillaume Rambourg: I think that calling what we’re doing a competition with services like Origin or Steam may be a bit misleading. We’re remaining true to our original mission of bringing DRM-free games to our users, adding in extra content, and keeping everything priced fairly across the whole world. This is the experience that a user gets when he or she comes to GOG.com, and that experience will remain unchanged. "

http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/2011/11/21/gog-director-explains-the-distributors-new-direction-how-good-old-principles-still-apply/
"Why should I care about the rubbish I talked yesterday?" :p
Can't say I have strong feelings about this. If it means that certain games will be more expensive at release I'll just wait until the price drops, or skip them entirely. In the end I will look at the price and judge whether or not it looks fair to me, just as I've done in the past. And if it means there's a good chance for many more great releases here at GOG, well hey, yay!

Someone mentioned gifts though, and I could see how that could turn into a problem. What keeps people from asking a friend from another country to buy the game for them, at a lower price? Are they going to restrict gifts to people from your own country? Because that would suck.
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Ralackk: Guillaume Rambourg: I think that calling what we’re doing a competition with services like Origin or Steam may be a bit misleading. We’re remaining true to our original mission of bringing DRM-free games to our users, adding in extra content, and keeping everything priced fairly across the whole world. This is the experience that a user gets when he or she comes to GOG.com, and that experience will remain unchanged. "

http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/2011/11/21/gog-director-explains-the-distributors-new-direction-how-good-old-principles-still-apply/
But that was yesterday, today is another matter, tomorrow another. Otherwise it would be coherent, and apparently we cannot afford that. Pr is something that is convenient at the time is used but you don't have to stay true to that.
This sadly remind me of the drastic fall and lies of Stardock.
I fear this could lead to withdrawal from universal pricing among other publishers/developers working with GOG and it definitely won't change attitudes in the industry toward regional pricing. It's betraying one core policy for the sake of another and I'm not sure it's going to be worth it.
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SCPM: Questions:
Can we still gift these games to gamers from different regions, and will each region still be getting the same versions of these games?
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jamyskis: That's a particularly relevant question where Germany is concerned, as we often get censored versions dumped in our laps.
You Get Censored versions we in Australia Get HEAVILY CENSORED VERSIONS!
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wpegg: [ you've sold out on all but one policy.
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scampywiak: Wait a minute...what? Just how many policies have they sold out on? I want a list. The way i see it, we still get DRM free games, bonus stuff, good customer service. Aside from tacking regional prices on these specific games, what else have they sold out on?
DRM free - lots of games now come with CD-key activation requirement for multi.
One, fair worldwide price - now its regional.
Uncensored games - W2 was already censored for Australia.
$10 upper limit on pricing for old games - 7 year old games that are recently added (Such as STALKER) cost upwards of $20.
Selling finished/working games - a lot of the newer releases are obviously unfinished and require major patching.
Selling complete versions of games, all expansions included - now they sell season passes and DLC separately.
These are just the things I remember,.
So, do tell, GOG staff.

Are these three releases going to be a rare exception?
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TheEnigmaticT: No. DRM is not negotiable.
Except it is, when you can set up a poll, ask people whether they mind "non-intrusive" DRM and have 50%+ to vote for "no, we don't". Because most people really don't mind "non-intrusive" DRM. Steam has a huge audience. Every change toward being more like steam will have the full "whatever" vote of the indifferent majority.
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scampywiak: Wait a minute...what? Just how many policies have they sold out on? I want a list. The way i see it, we still get DRM free games, bonus stuff, good customer service. Aside from tacking regional prices on these specific games, what else have they sold out on?
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wpegg: $10 price ceiling.
Regional pricing
Only the best classic games (you may have wanted the change, but it was a policy many supported)

These were, after no drm, the main 3 GOG points in their early days.
So you really only want old games? How is this a principle? It's more of a feature of the site as I see it. And yes, I was glad they added newer games, indie games, etc. This is the way to have more influence in the industry, not sticking to old games priced under $10.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by scampywiak
I really don't know what people are complaining for... is it right... no, but you either get them from steam with regional pricing with DRM or the same thing from GOG with regional pricing (and a gift for most cases probably to make up for it) DRM free or not at all if it isn't worth it to you. You hold the money so you hold the power.

To me, the only thing that matters is GOG staying DRM free. If they do they will always have a costumer regardless if I have to pay a little more for it.

Giving up games because of regional pricing because *you may* have to pay more doesn't change anything, don't buy them... we wouldn't have had them anyway. At-least buying them here still gets you a DRM free copy vs steam, and those who do want newer DRM free games can still get them.

Keep on GOG, I would much rather get more DRM free games to preserve these games... than missing out on them. To many people want GOG to remain niche. GOG knows what battles that can give in on and which they can't.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by BKGaming
I would rather have more DRM-free games without flat pricing, than less DRM-free games with flat pricing. So I'm good with that.