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General discussionWelcome to the GOG Preservation Program – Making Games Live Forever!(379 posts)(379 posts)
(379 posts)
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Posted November 13, 2024
For the occasion of GOG's 16th anniversary, get ready for one-of-a-kind news: we are proud to announce the launch of GOG Preservation Program, an official stamp on classic games improved by GOG!

So, what’s this all about?

If a game is part of the Preservation Program, it means that we commit our own resources to maintaining its compatibility with modern and future systems. It also means that the GOG version of this game is the best anywhere. For a game to join the GOG Preservation Program, we run it through extensive quality testing and often apply custom improvements to ensure compatibility and quality-of-life improvements.

We are launching the Program with over 100 games. Over the next few months, we will continue to add more!



What can you expect from games in the GOG Preservation Program?

1. Expect it to work on current and future popular PC configurations,
2. Be sure that this version is the best and most complete available anywhere, including compatibility, manuals, and other bonus content, but also DLCs and even features that are missing in other editions,
3. Access GOG's Tech Support if you encounter technical issues with running the game,
4. As with all titles in our catalog, always keep access to their offline installers, granting you the power to safeguard them how you want.
Posted November 14, 2024
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Hey all! As promised, I'm coming back to you with answers to some of the questions and concerns that many of you here posted. I might be also updating it if more explanation is needed:

Wasn't this pretty much what you were always doing?

While GOG has always been committed to video game preservation, our approach has evolved over the past 16 years. We’ve experimented with different strategies and projects—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. So while yes, we were always doing it, we also acknowledge that, despite our efforts, we could have done a much better job maintaining the games released on GOG in the past. This is something we’re committed to improving.

Going forward, we plan to demonstrate this commitment through actions, not just words. We’re fully dedicated to making it right.

Our goal is clear: to champion DRM-free gaming as a means of preserving, sharing, and celebrating gaming history. For us, and gamers everywhere, we believe this is the path that truly matters.

But many classic games are still not updated and don't run that well at all?

Yes, and as time goes on, we’ll continue expanding the GOG Preservation Program and change that. Those initial 100 games are just the beginning. Every day, we’re working through our extensive internal list—fixing, improving, and making titles playable once more. More games will be added to the Program over time, and our ultimate hope is that one day, this question will be completely outdated - in opposite to the games in the Program :)

Some games' changelogs aren't necessarily very impressive

Some games required more work than others to be up to our quality standards. In the Program, we also included games that didn't necessarily run badly, but we're still ready to take responsibility for, and that we believe might need maintenance in the near future. A big part of the program is that we are re-checking all those games. And we will do it for all of them periodically moving forward on modern PCs. If we ever find something, we will fix it. It's a huge commitment from us, so we need to make sure that we can take this responsibility. It's not just "launching the game once" - even if the changelogs don't seem impressive, a lot was actually done. And we're proud of our work, but we understand that on the outside it might not seem like enough. Please give us time to convince you otherwise with our actions and not just words. There is more to come, soon.

I'm uncertain about the updates - what about my mods?

One of the first things we check when releasing a new classic game or applying updates is compatibility with the most popular mods. We often work closely with modding communities to make this happen. For example, our versions of Skyrim and Fallout 4 are compatible with the Script Extender from day one.

Also, there’s a rollback feature available in Galaxy, though we don’t maintain rollbacks for offline installers. Technically, though, these are the same builds after installation—the only difference is the installation process. Plus, you can run games installed via Galaxy without needing Galaxy at all.

Why not include a download option to get the original, unmodified files? Some patches delete certain files or break compatibility on older operating systems.

We hear it more and more from you and, frankly, it sounds like a super interesting idea. In all honesty, we haven't thought about this from this perspective. Let us investigate this internally and get back to you.

Why not just include every DOS / ScummVM compatible game in the Program?

Every DOSBox game on GOG comes with a custom configuration designed specifically for that game. In some cases, however, these configurations may need to be updated to ensure optimal performance on current hardware. There are also other potential issues that need addressing, a good example of that can be found in our changelogs for Dungeon Keeper Gold.

What about games in French, German, and other languages?

We’ve added quite a few additional localizations to the games in the Program, and we’ll continue to add more whenever possible. While adding localized versions can require additional licensing agreements with publishers, we’re prepared to tackle these challenges with your support in prioritizing what matters most.

"You can't talk about video game preservation while delisting games"

Games being delisted is beyond our control. However, remember that you always keep access to offline installers, and they can never be taken away from you. This is preservation. You preserve those games, your games and your gaming legacy, and can access them whenever you want and enjoy them in a great state.

Are old games that are not part of the program worse and under the threat of getting outdated and unplayable in due time?

Not really. For a game to qualify for the GOG Preservation Program, our team must run it through many quality tests. If these tests fail, our team updates and improves the game until it matches our quality standards. Only then, we stamp the game with our Preservation Program and grant it Good Old Game status. There is a long backlog of classic games available on GOG that may already qualify for the program, but our team has not been able to confirm that yet. We aim to support as many games as possible, but it's not always entirely up to us.

Will you deliver on the promise of the Program?

We'll do our absolutely best to grow and maintain the Program. We won't fail you.

Also, please remember there is a FAQ section at the bottom here: https://www.gog.com/gog-preservation-program
Some additional answers can be found there.

Besides that, we're super happy to see a lot of you being optimistic about this initiative. And thank you for all the feedback, harsh or not - we gather and analyze it all. We already see some things we can improve that we didn't think about. All thanks to you!
Post edited November 14, 2024 by king_kunat
Posted April 05, 2025
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Unfallen_Satan: How about a Game Preservation Club, with a club fee instead of subscription (maybe to a club newsletter)?...
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dnovraD: Doesn't seem like a good idea in the slightest.

* Why wouldn't they talk about their interests here, in the general forums?
* What would adding a feather to the scales change in the actual circumstances?
* So they'd have to be sworn to non-disclosure, lest these leak like a sieve or otherwise be said before final agreements made. Not to mention, that there would have to be considerable changes made, not just slapping DOSbox 0.74 back in and calling it a day.
...

Patronage often comes with ongoing benefits, but so many creators are bungee-rope bosses. They only appear long enough to make posts and then vanish into the aether. Some of them even run art lotteries which is an insult if you've been subscribed for years but never drawn. Frankly there's too many downsides to this idea.

Instead, why not subsidize Galaxy by making the users of it pay for it?
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/wishlist_turn_galaxy_into_a_subscription
I concede the point about NDA. The legal stuff surrounding need for secrecy is always tricky. A dedicated forum lets people more easily engage with people of shared interests. The general forum is much too messy. They could though.

I don't really get your points for 2, 4-7. I assume the devs who are making CDPR games are not also GOG staff, except maybe as a side interest. Why would anyone need to travel to Warsaw? Again, interested fans could. Online content creators engage live with their fans all the time. I don't know how many people are interested in Game Preservation. Hopefully GOG does. Hopefully enough, and it's why they are making a big deal out of it.

I sense some bitterness with Patreon there. I myself supported a game for a year or two that ultimately never got to version 1.0: Deviant Anomalies. Nevertheless, it was one of the most creative, funny, and sexy adult visual novels I've played.

My number one recommendation for subscription is to subsidize Galaxy, if GOG can make Galaxy into the best platform for collecting/organizing/updating/engaging with DRM-free games. More details in my "three subscriptions I am willing to pay for" post. If they are going to charge for any service, why not the service around their most important ethos: game ownership.
Post edited April 05, 2025 by Unfallen_Satan
Posted April 05, 2025
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Unfallen_Satan: -snip-
On 2: It's quite simple. A million votes won't help get the release clearance from a stubborn company. Nor would it help in the case where the company is legally dead, the rights holders are dead, or the rights were sold to a holding company whose only office operates upon an obscure mountain within Southeast Asia.

The flipside of this: Say I got supercharged votes and cast them upon all the obscure shareware titles I liked from the 1990s. You think that's gonna really move the needle? For that matter, do you really think me being the only person willing to buy the entire William Soleau collection is going to convince GOG of pursuing that?

On 4: I think it'd be a waste of the staff's already limited time to come be buddy-buddy with us. Especially when they already deal with the wasted time of dealing with an AGILE based management system.

On 5: You suggested special events. GOG is headquartered in Poland. Perhaps you meant the kind that don't involve physical travel.

On 6: Outside of Jeremy Parish or the folks who run the Video Game History Foundation, I can't think of anyone with enough cache to make a worthwhile guest appearance within that incredibly narrow scope.

On 7: That was a joke about how the exclusive goodies would have to be seriously outside the box to entice people. In a gist, I was asking you to sell me on what such an exclusive goodie would consist of.
Post edited April 05, 2025 by dnovraD
Posted April 05, 2025
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Would be nice if Gog could do something about the Freespace games, currently neither Descent: Freespace nor Freespace 2 work on my Windows 11 laptop. I know I could try installing the mod (Knossos or whatever it's called), but it would be preferable if the Gog version worked again without having to do something like that (as it did on my old Windows 7 machine).
Posted April 07, 2025
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dnovraD: -snip-
On 2: I assume the viability of any game preservation project would be quite clear during discussions and voting among club members the same way they are in the current Game Preservation Program, i.e. unobtainable games are not brought up for voting. It's something club members could talk about, along with deeper discussions on what games might see more sales when preserved and brought to GOG, what avenues might exist to preserve games that seem like they are dead for good, etc.

On 4: Some of staff already spend time to read the forums and reply. I am not talking about 24/7 access or friend lists or things like that. Reasonable engagement. Maybe they don't have the time, and engaging with the preservation staff is not even mentioned to prospective club members. They would know, not us.

Thank you for mentioning the AGILE based management system. I had no idea what that was until I heard it from you. I don't know if GOG uses it. I am not convince you know GOG uses it. But I welcome knowledge.

On 5: I confess I wasn't thinking about physical trips to Poland. I know game devs sometimes invite people to their companies for activities: test builds, contest winners, really high tier kickstarter backers/people who buy really expensive collector's editions, etc. Now you mentioned it, I think trips to GOG for some fans isn't a bad idea. If the game preservation club takes off (if it's even formed), I think they definitely should. If there are no fans willing to pay their own way there, GOG probably shouldn't do it.

On 6: I know some content creators have expressed interest in older games. Josh Strife Hayes did a video on Dino Crisis, which directly led me to buy the GOG re-release. Some time ago MandaloreGaming did a review of Sins of a Solar Empire. His mentioning of GOG at the end directly led me to buy it on GOG. I don't even like survival horror games, and I already owned Sins from its physical release. Collaborations don't have to be with game preservation gurus, just someone interesting with a casual interest in preserving just one or two games could lead to a stream where they engage with club fans for a while. It'd be little different from their normal routines. Again, whether sponsoring a content creator or whoever else for a session depends on interest in the club.

On 7: That's a good question and one I think GOG marketing should think hard on. I wasn't thinking about selling to skeptical users. I offered the idea mainly to draw in folks who already want to support game preservation on GOG and have money to give and is looking for a way to connect in an organized way.
Post edited April 07, 2025 by Unfallen_Satan
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General discussionWelcome to the GOG Preservation Program – Making Games Live Forever!(379 posts)(379 posts)
(379 posts)