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General discussionCommunity Wishlist - Games - What is the process???(5 posts)solved(5 posts)solved
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Posted July 04, 2020
So, after looking at the many games wish listed, and someone asking what I'm about to ask.
I decided to ask in their place for me and them too... (if they ever see this thread...)

So, what is the process for granting a wish listed game on GoG?

So for instance/example, I wanted to have Red Alert 1 on GoG.
I slap my wish unto the community wish list.
It gets a lot of attention, then what happens next other then it "may" be added.

Would love to know a bit more about the behind the scenes of the process for getting a game on GoG.

I have read a few times it comes down to licenses and the like, but I bet there is more to it then just that.
And I REALLY like to know.

-Copper

((I just mention RA1 as an example, as it was the very first game that came to mind...))
This question / problem has been solved by Cavalaryimage
Posted July 04, 2020
Back when TET was GOG's PR (so, you know, when GOG had PR), remember something said about them trying to get all games with at least 500 wishlist votes, so in case of those that had at least that many and weren't, it wasn't for lack of trying. Also, high vote numbers, for the games near the top of the wishlist ranking, maybe even somewhat lower down in case of indies, can be used to add a bit of persuasion in the negotiations with rightsholders.
But that's about the extent of the relevance of the wishlist. The real process has to do with getting the distribution rights and, in case of older games, possibly getting them to work. Some rightsholders insist on using DRM, some have exclusive agreements with other stores (or their own stores), some may specifically want to bury certain games... Then, for older games, getting to someone who can offer those distribution rights can be a tangled mess, might have heard the term "copyright hell", if the original rightsholders aren't around anymore and rights weren't clearly passed to others, or if rights were split, or if some rights were only held for a limited time. At times that may just prove impossible to get to the bottom of, or the documents needed to prove that some do own the rights have been lost, or those who might own the rights don't care to put in the effort to try to dig everything up. That's the main issue. Though, as I already mentioned, for some old games it may also be the fact that they just can't be made to run on modern systems, definitely 16-bit Windows games won't be here, and some made for Win 9x tend to be a pain to fix as well.
That'd be the short of it, I'd say.
Post edited July 04, 2020 by Cavalary
Posted July 04, 2020
avatar
Cavalary: Back when TET was GOG's PR (so, you know, when GOG had PR), remember something said about them trying to get all games with at least 500 wishlist votes, so in case of those that had at least that many and weren't, it wasn't for lack of trying. Also, high vote numbers, for the games near the top of the wishlist ranking, maybe even somewhat lower down in case of indies, can be used to add a bit of persuasion in the negotiations with rightsholders.
But that's about the extent of the relevance of the wishlist. The real process has to do with getting the distribution rights and, in case of older games, possibly getting them to work. Some rightsholders insist on using DRM, some have exclusive agreements with other stores (or their own stores), some may specifically want to bury certain games... Then, for older games, getting to someone who can offer those distribution rights can be a tangled mess, might have heard the term "copyright hell", if the original rightsholders aren't around anymore and rights weren't clearly passed to others, or if rights were split, or if some rights were only held for a limited time. At times that may just prove impossible to get to the bottom of, or the documents needed to prove that some do own the rights have been lost, or those who might own the rights don't care to put in the effort to try to dig everything up. That's the main issue. Though, as I already mentioned, for some old games it may also be the fact that they just can't be made to run on modern systems, definitely 16-bit Windows games won't be here, and some made for Win 9x tend to be a pain to fix as well.
That'd be the short of it, I'd say.
The more or less answered my question, and then some.
A lot of things i knew, but totally forgot about.
Thanks for not only informing me, but also jogging my memory.
Posted July 04, 2020
avatar
Cavalary: Though, as I already mentioned, for some old games it may also be the fact that they just can't be made to run on modern systems, definitely 16-bit Windows games won't be here, and some made for Win 9x tend to be a pain to fix as well.
That'd be the short of it, I'd say.
Wine in Linux provides backwards-compatibility to Windows 3.1x. However, I am guessing the Linux userbase alone might not be big enough to justify the effort of making those older games available.

It's a shame (and ironic) that Windows provides such poor backwards-compatibility with its own software ...
Posted July 05, 2020
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Time4Tea: Wine in Linux provides backwards-compatibility to Windows 3.1x. However, I am guessing the Linux userbase alone might not be big enough to justify the effort of making those older games available.

It's a shame (and ironic) that Windows provides such poor backwards-compatibility with its own software ...
Highly doubt GOG will ever add a game that doesn't run at all on Windows. Not a PC game at least. May be a day when they'll start selling mobile stuff, but something that's Linux and/or Mac only, don't see it happening.
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General discussionCommunity Wishlist - Games - What is the process???(5 posts)solved(5 posts)solved
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