Like I said, "probably unsuccessfully".

GOG Galaxy supports beta channels on a per game basis. That shouldn't be the case. There is no way to realistically reward you without any proof that you haven't used Steam. In other words, no way to realistically tell if you are a potential Connect user or not.

Secondly, it's not alike a heavy sale. The users opting into Connect only get a DRM-free version of a game they already owned before on another service. Not many are likely to just keep rebuying the games because they moved out to Steam. As someone who usually does this, you could say that I'm an outlier.

That's why I think there is no way to properly reward non-users of Steam. That is besides making huge discounts on Connect games while they're not on sale on the other services.

Actually, I would say they ARE fairly insignificant groups in GOGs eyes, and it makes sense. I would additionally argue that both groups you mentioned are in the minority, but I have no actual proof from this and so I'll refrain for the time being. But otherwise:
-People with very large GOG libraries
Why would GOG want to market to the people who are the LEAST likely to buy from them? It makes more sense for them to go the path they've already gone, and tell new users "here are some free games added to your GOG library to kickstart your collection!". It's a tactic that works, and it admittedly impressed me greatly when I first signed up here. I imagine it's had a similar effect on others. Always try to imagine what these sort of things look like to "outsiders", so to speak.
-People who are ardent DRM-free or anti-client advocates
Given the immense popularity of Steam, again, I would argue that this is only a minority of sales and that most people buy here just because GOG is a great store with much less hassle, but I won't go there for the time being.
It'll just say it's fairly obvious that they don't particularly care much about anti-client advocates, seeing as they actually made their OWN client (Galaxy).
As far as the DRM-free advocates go, seeing as GOG is currently the largest DRM-free online store out there, wouldn't that make this whole thing actually a GOOD move? This move means more publicity, and more publicity means more sales. More sales means GOG gets bigger and stronger, and GOG getting bigger and stronger means that we can have more DRM-free games.
Well, is it just my interpretation that's incorrect? I mean, if I am, let me know, but I honestly still can't quite understand what you're getting at, and I can't figure out whether it's because the argument doesn't make sense or if it's my explanation of it that's not making sense.
Mrkgnao has suggested that they implement a button or something permanently cutting off your access to Connect.

But...maybe this is just me...doesn't encouraging/rewarding people for not using Steam seem like kind of a dangerous move to make this direct of an attack, as a company, on a competitor that could easily buy you out 10 times over?

Quoting myself:
"My suggestion for opt out was that by opting out the user will be prevented from using GOG Connect forever, even if he later created a Steam account or changed his mind. The operation would be permanent (like GOG Connect itself). No need to prove anything."

Quoting myself:
"I too think that these two groups are a very small minority, which is why I think from an economic point of view the gesture would have negligible and therefore would make sense. Basically, cheap publicity."

I never suggested not to implement GC, just to add a small symbolic consolation prize for people deciding not to use it.

Oh, I apologize, I seem to have missed that quote.

They could give some sort of prize, although it wouldn't make much sense for them to and might cause a lot of backlash. I personally think their time is better spent just continuing to add more features to the website.

But what is the prize for being permanently prevented from using GOG Connect? That doesn't sound like a prize to me. At all.

Looking back at my orders history, first thing I ever made on GOG was get Torchlight. That's back when the game was made temporarily free on the GOG website. If it wasn't for this freebie, I would've been still stuck on Steam. Publicity is always a good thing, and GOG Connect provided a lot to GOG in terms of that.

It is as much benefitting of Steam users as it is to GOG users, especially those who are DRM-aware or those who want to try out GOG but without shelling especially more for games they already owned. It benefits specific parties, much alike the Reclaim your Game initiative. I own none of the Reclaim your Game set of games. Do I feel left out or that GOG shafted me? No.

Again though, I don't think a permanent cut-off from Connect is enough a reward for those who don't use it.

But why do you absolutely want to get something? By deciding to not use this feature, you could feel like "I'm better than that, I will keep supporting GOG, even though it means that I will do so at my expense."

Honestly, to me, GOG giving back some store credit to people who decline using this feature strongly resembles bribing:
"Umm, sorry you're not content with that, but uh . . . here, we'll give you some store credit in hopes that you will stop talking about it. OK?"

And then there are those that have already paid for a game, and got it in a format they have no use for. But unless they embraces Steam first, they're asked to pay for it again here.

I'm fully aware of technical issues/limitations of accommodating people with keys not redeemed on Steam, just pointing out that the argument is not all that solid.
GOG Connect is just a business move for GOG to get their foot a bit more into the Steam user base; it has nth to do with saving people money, that's just PR talk to make people feel good.


That's actually a flawed argument, imo. How do you think these people built their very large GOG libraries in the first place? It's not like GOG codes float around in bundles for $1 every corer you turn.

And again, that has nth to do with GOG Connect, people with very large GOG libraries will just continue to spend their money here, like they've always have, and, as I said before, if some jump ship, I'm pretty sure GOG has factored it in.

Well, yes, I'd certainly agree with you here, but you can't deny that this is a feature which many people appreciate and enjoy and see as a very nice/kind thing of them to implement.
Isn't this normal for most stores, though? I could be wrong, but it seems to me that GOG is fairly unique in being one of the few places that actually gives you another copy of a game you own somewhere else. This is admittedly just conjecture, but I vaguely get the feeling that there wouldn't be such a large backlash if this "somewhere else" wasn't Steam.
It's somewhat like I told mrkgnao earlier: This isn't something that GOG was doing before now, so were they somehow better by not having it at all?

Well, I'm going by what I've seen here on the forum. The people with large libraries are often the ones who turn down gifted games because of a large backlog. So if they're turning down FREE games, how would they be likely to BUY games?
My main point with that thing is that, after you own all the games you want here, there's literally no reason for you to buy any more unless a new one is released except for gifts. Plus, if these people suddenly jumped ship and said "screw GOG" because of this, in a sense, GOG's already won, because they've already spent some $1,000+ on here anyways, so it's not that big of a loss, unlike a new customer where you're losing a potential $1,000.

I most certainly can't deny that the PR talk works, for the most part.


This wasn't my point - as I said, saving people money has nth to do with anything.

I don't think it's something that unique, it's just that the norm is for it to work the other way around - one gets a copy on the store they purchase a game, and a Steam key.
GOG doesn't want to do this, but they do want to attract more Steam users, so they chose to do GOG Connect. It's as simple as that. The matter of better or worse is subjective from the user POV, but the only one that matters is GOG's business POV. GOG could do tomorrow a number of things that they weren't doing before, and some will find them worse, some better, and some will be indifferent. GOG will still do them if they serve their business goals and plans, and we will probably be having a similar discussion.

And I think you're exaggerating with the "such a large backlash"; can't say I've noticed anything like that. My impression is that those asking for GOG Connect to work both ways, or being a bit disappointed that it doesn't, are more than those expressing their concern or dissatisfaction it was introduced.
But if you want to go there - that "somewhere else" being Steam does matter; it has a very large user base, and that's exactly the reason GOG's interested in it, and introduced GOG Connect.

That's a strange bit of logic. First off it assumes gOg "owes" you something which you are entitled to. I will just leave that one....

Secondly , by this logic, all sales are unfair. What if gOg have a sale on Psychonauts? People with good taste and large gOg libraries are unfairly being left out. Those with bad taste or have never invested in gOg gets an unfair advantage...

Thirdly, there is a undercurrent here that those who do not have a Steam account somehow looses out, what exactly have you.lost? Just because one subset of people gain something, it does not automatically follows that another subsets loss something equally. For you there is no change at all, it is business exactly as usual. So what is the problem?

I can explain that. A gifted game and a bought game are completely different things. Buying a game and putting it in the backlog is fine. But accepting a gift from someone with the knowledge that you won't play it feels wrong and ungrateful to the donator. So it's not unreasonable to turn down gifts, but still buy games yourself.

Putting aside the fact that the forum is hardly representative of GOG's user base, with large or not so large libraries (just go and read this, see how many usernames you recognise), you're overlooking a very important factor that leads to people turning down a free game, and that's their code of ethics. A user with a large backlog doesn't feel comfortable with other people spending their money for them to just add to their backlog, but treat their own money differently when it comes to expanding it (I know a number of them). It may not be something you understand, but ii happens more often than you think.

Also, don't underestimate the money spent on gift codes; since you follow the GA threads, all you have to do is look not only at the amount of gifts some people donate, but also at the cost of some of them. And that is only what you can see in the forum, a lot of gifting is happening privately with no announcements.

We have new releases almost every day now, that simply means that no matter how large of a library one has, there is no "you own all the games you want here".

As for the new customers - while there's a point to that argument, I'm not that confident that those having arrived through GOG Connect as primarily Steam users and having large libraries there are the most likely candidates to spend a $1,000 here, especially since games here come with no Steam key.
Yes, new customers may potentially spend money here, but they won't spend $1,000 overnight while existing customers spend zero; this is hardly an "either... or" situation.


I said it from the beginning, I understand this from a business POV, so don't see much, if any, point continuing this back and forth.

If I may interject, I think this discussion is gonna be rendered purely academical unless the whole GOG Connect program grows to include a significant portion of GOG's catalogue. If instead it follows the steps of GOG's Reclaim Your Game program and no new games are ever added to it (or just a few in a couple of weeks), nobody will remember it by next year and we'll all be a happy family again. :P