Thimbleweed Park, last game from Ron Gilbert, ws present on GOG and I buyed this at day one, why Return Of Monkey Island is just on Steam?

Its just a fan stupid question I know..

I have seen threads on Steam about it but no official response, there is still a chance it could get a surprise same day release here, it has happened in the past with some games the announced Steam only then got a GOG release the same day.

After what you said I will not pre-purchase this game on Steam then, I would prefer a GOG version.

I'm surprised it has not been announced yet. The lack of information on this is annoying. I would like to know if the game is coming to GOG or not, either way.

I mean...the attachment isn't necessarily encouraging.

It's published by Devolver, we've gotten a lot of their stuff.

I'm not going anywhere from here. I have all the games in the series here, on GOG, and I'm not going to buy a new one anywhere else. I want "Return" to be sold here, DRM free, and I really hope it will come to GOG.

Yes, but probably not immediately.

With so few days until release, it seems clear to me that it won't be coming to GOG, at least on Day 1.

Since Devolver has pretty much always released its games on GOG on Day 1, and Ron Gilbert wouldn't seem to be hostile to DRM-free (although I don't recall hearing him in favor of it either), it could be an imposition from Disney, which if I'm not mistaken has control of the Monkey Island IP.

Wow, I didn't even realize it will be released so soon.

Mr. Gilbert has obtained the license to use the LucasArts IP from Disney and publishing rights belong to Devolver Digital. That's why I think it will also be released on GOG and with some luck on its release day. If not I suspect that it will not take very long until it appears here and out of the blue. The controversy over graphics and art-style is far from over and once the game is released the negativity could spill over to reviews. Since a DRM-free version exists, even though only as kickstarter backer reward, GOG is practically the only other candidate to release it to in the hopes that it will receive a warmer reception here.

Probably it will, other Devolver Games as come to GOG, at least the single player ones. Plus Ron Gilbert bring his other games here. My bet is a 'YES' :D

Part of me wondered if the rise of sites dedicated to hosting pirated GOG installers (exclusively GOG games too, for some reason) was playing a role in the publisher decision (such as preventing a Day 1 release here at the minimum), but Devolver does seem to still be putting all their games here like Cult of the Lamb.

But I do think it will show up here not too long after the release date. Maybe the GOG release gets like a 25% discount.

This graphic style has never excited me; I have had a lot to do with the technical aspects of graphics, and this graphic style makes it easier to create animations, saving on the actual drawings that the artist has to make.

However, in this Return To Monkey Island the graphics are so full of artistic cues that it is perfectly fine for me. I liked it.

I've written about the different release scenarios here:
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/the_monkey_island_games_to_get_true_conclusion_to_the_original_trilogy_later_this_year/post140

It all boils down to what Devolver intends to achieve by not announcing anything, and there could really be many reasons, or a combination of those:

Avoid infringing on Steam preorders
Devolver has a shot at the Big Whoop here. Valve gives a bigger cut of the proceeds if you sell a certain number of games. If people buy/preorder on GOG, Devolver will get that bigger cut later.

Avoid Day One Piracy
We all know where these GOG exes end up minutes after release, because one in a 1000 goglins is a complete douchebag, and one in a thousand goglins is more than enough, sadly.

Avoid initial Review Shitstorm
Return to Monkey Island's graphic style seems to have "personally insulted" a few nostalgic fans who seem to be better at hating games than they are at loving them. Now, this negativity is the same and possibly even worse in the Steam forums, but on GOG, people who don't own the game can write reviews (impossible on Steam for good reason), and they can also downvote positive reviews (which directly demotivates people to write positive reviews at all). There are zero safeguards against review bombing save manual deletion by GOG personel, and those usually don't even have the time. Last time I reported a review (for, no exaggeration, ugly and politically motivated lies), I got an answer three weeks later. It's frankly not a good look for GOG.

Concentrate on just two platforms on release day
Simultaneous releases on multiple platforms are difficult particularly for smaller companies. I've lived through Telltale trying and frequently failing at simultaneous releases, and a few years later, Red Thread Games tried and failed.

GOG sales are thought to be negligible
Back in 2017, Ron Gilbert achieved rock solid 6% of Thimbleweed Park sales via GOG. But let's face it, the platform was in a much better place five years ago, dealt much more in the AA's and AAA's.



If Devolver/Terrible Toybox are actually doing physical PC releases that are not just a few trinkets and a "Steam key" in an oversized cardboard box - and those were teased at this week - there's simply no reason for them not to release on GOG.

The question still is WHEN. WHEN THE FUNKY MONKEY.

Personally, I'm biting my nails down to my knuckles right now. I really, really want this, and I really, really want this on release day – it's Talk Like a Pirate Day for fuck's sake, and I want that preorder bonus ... as wonderfully senseless as it is.

I'm actually hopeful because Devolver and Ron were asked the question on twitter a dozen times and took great care to not respond at all. Hopefully that's because a day one release is actually in the cards.