TomNuke: Nope. If I really want to play the games I'll just buy them on EGS or Steam.
If you're someone who's really going to get hung-up on the DRM issue then there's going to be a lot of games you won't be playing, and that's going to continue more and more in the future. GOG is more likely to be shut down before any of these other stores, so what will you do then? Just continue to play your DRM-free GOG games and never buy anything new you're interested in?
Refusing to buy games that you'd want to buy on GOG if they were DRM-free doesn't do anything. You're not sending a message to the developers or publishers by doing that. All you're doing is punishing yourself.
If GOG represented a significant market share the games would come here, but it doesn't. If Horizon Zero Dawn sold gangbusters here on GOG do you really think God of War wouldn't have released here, or Days Gone? When HZD released here people just complained non-stop in the forum here because it was too expensive for an old console game.
Now you could argue that CD Projekt might be somewhat responsible with Sony deciding not to release their other games here because of Cyberpunk disaster on Playstation, but I'd like to think people aren't that petty, and if the HZD sold well enough here the others would be here also.
Most major studios have tried releasing games on GOG before, and they just don't sell well enough to make it worth their while. Capcom tried with Dragon's Dogma, and had a GOG release with all the Galaxy features like achievements, etc, but they haven't done anything since because it didn't sell. Why would they release modern Resident Evil games here if they aren't going to sell?
They could easily do a GOG release also, because they actually remove Denuvo from their games and they're all freely pirated / backed up if you want. Probably in their eyes they're satisfying the DRM-free crowd by removing the DRM from the Steam release.
Same thing with Bandai Namco. They haven't used Denuvo since 2019, and their games are cracked and pirated same day. Elden Ring sold miliions of copies on Steam and was available to be pirated on day one. Same deal with thier flagship JRPG Tales of Arise. They still don't care enough about doing a GOG release.
Square Enix probably treats GOG the best of the major studios, but they just throw table scraps to GOG every now and then with very old games.They have a lot of games that are DRM-free or games without Denuvo on Steam, but they don't care to release those here. Why? Must not be worth the extra work for the sales they'll get on GOG.
Even a game like King of Fighters XV or the new Samurai Shodown didn't release on GOG despite KoFXIV and XIII being here. I reached out to SNK and asked them and they said a GOG release wasn't decided at this point. I'd provide the contact link to have others do the same, but I can't post links because of the horrible rep system here. But, if King of Fighters was selling a decent amount on GOG they would have released it here, because it needs all the sales it can get, but they didn't even bother.
Even someone like NIS America, who releases quite a few games here doesn't care about GOG much. Is the new Disgaea 6 Complete Edition going to release on GOG? Nope. I asked them multiple times and left them feedback requesting it, and there's no plans. Maybe it will come, but I doubt it. Again, I'd post a link here for people to reach out but the reputation system here doesn't allow me to post links. I think NIS America only releases the Falcom games here because Falcom probably says they have to. They certainly don't care about GOG with most of their other releases.
I could go on and on all day with examples here... GOG customers just think they're more important than they actually are. GOG's market share is absurdly low, and the community is toxic as ****. You don't have to be here long on the forums to see that. Want more GOG games? Then get off your ass and start requesting titles in a respectful way, and if you do get a release here you actually buy it, instead of whining and complaining about the usual topics we see here in release threads.
I prioritize GOG releases also, but I'm certainly not going to deny myself of games I want to play just because they are "DRM'd". Life is too short, and my leisure time is far too valuable to worry about whether something is DRM'd or if it might come to GOG years down the road.
If something comes out same day on both GOG and Steam I'll buy it on GOG, but if I really want something I'll buy it on EGS or Steam. I don't care. If something comes later to GOG and I like the game enough I might even re-buy the game here. That's all I can do. I'm certainly not going to punish myself waiting for potential GOG releases years down the road.
It's really up to GOG here. They need to find ways to grow, and they need to have a better selection of games to do that. They absolutely need to find a way to get bigger studios interested in releasing their older games that have Denuvo removed on GOG. If they can't do that then you're going to see more and more of what we see now, and that's never going to change. Except the already low market share for GOG will just get lower and lower.
The thing is that when GOG does try things to help them grow, the community here rejects it and gets angry. Like the Cyberpunk is DRM'ed folks. They're crying and screaming that a couple of cosmetic items are tied to Galaxy or something and that's DRM'd now. Trying to bring fresh blood into GOG and grow their service with a few (worthless) Cyberpunk cosmetics was this horrible thing to so many here.
It's like when they (GOG) wants you to subscribe to marketing e-mails to claim a free title on a giveaway. People complain and whine about that, when marketing e-mails is a way for them to grow their store by letting people know what's going on with GOG releases, stores, major sales, et cetera.
Is there new blood coming into GOG? Probably not. Newer PC gamers go right into Steam and even EGS now, and it's only going to get worse for GOG. GOG customers are likely older gamers who care more about DRM-free, older games, and classic titles. That's a demographic that is shrinking. More and more older gamers will check out of the hobby because of real life issues. That doesn't work well for GOG.
GOG can't turn into a DRM'd store either, because what would be the point of it then? Might as well just buy on Steam or EGS if it went that way. DRM-free is their identity and if that kind of store isn't a financially viable thing anymore then there's no reason for the store to exist.
Nope. I think if GOG shuts down, Zoom-Platform will take the lead. 428 Licensed games with more on the way. They have a much better representation with their customers and are dedicated to bringing a lot of old games over, as well as some indies. It takes time, but they're my definite next bet if GOG comes crashing down. Also, the team are on Discord often, so they update and let you know what they're working on.
