With all the change that's been going on, some things ought to remain the same.

/soapbox on

While nobody expects GOG.com to be a static entity, there is something to be said for having regular days for new releases, news reports, and sales. As a member who has been around for a while, I kind of got used to releases on Tuesday and Thursday, and sales on weekends. No matter how crappy my Tuesday was, I could come home, log onto GOG.com, and there would be a new release for me to drool over. Friday was nice, not only because it meant I had two days to cram some gaming in, but also because the GOG sales always made it feel like a celebration.

But lately, things haven't been as consistent as they once were. Sure, we've had pretty much the same number of releases, news reports, and sales, but the impact is somewhat diminished when your expectations keep being disappointed.

Human beings are a funny lot. Expectations are a huge determining factor in perception. And when expectations are repeatedly unmet, people experience dissatisfaction. This is true even if you receive exactly what you expected only at a later date. To counter this, I have a few suggestions for GOG.com.

1) Keep Tuesday and Thursday as your release dates. Due to Wednesday being Steam's Mid-Week sale day, GOG.com releases are perfectly times to round out the week. That, and two releases a week seems fairly sustainable.

2) Keep the weekend sales on the weekend. That gives your shoppers three days to mull over a purchase while checking their finances, and it successfully competes with Steam and Impulse weekend sales. If you wait until after Steam and Impulse have taken everyone's money, you lose out.

3) Have more news releases, more often. Once a week would be fine. Make it a point to foreshadow big news ahead of time. Giving a hint two months in advance gives you time to write up at least three more news articles on the subject. Regular feedback keeps your customers interested, and builds anticipation. Also, if you're going to miss a deadline, such as a Thursday release, mention it as early as possible and explain it so that we can adjust our expectations. "Thursday's release is being postponed until Tuesday because we have a chance to get our hands on more bonus content" is informative and helpful, keeping us in the loop. "Thursday's release isn't ready" is not.


These may seem like minor things for me to go on about, but trust me when I say it is important to your business. The success of GOG.com is built on the loyalty of its customers, so treat them well.

/soapbox off


-Khalaq

+1 for that!

i am all for fixed release dates, tuesday was the perfect time i think, and its always sweet to see something new on thursday too, if wednesday is new release day then plz stick to that, i have nothing against bonus releases, but at least one day a week should be fixed

weekend sales on the weekends, yeah, but still bonus sales are ok too

i think the news thing shouldnt be too strict, but news once a week would be nice, i think they do a good job with that, i dont know how much is going on behind the scenes, but being in the loop is always nice

I don't really care that much about that. I mean, if you live by strict routines, sure, it's comforting. But I don't like things to be too routine. I also don't like to drastically change things. Slow progress, steady progress.

I, for one, appreciate unpredictability in any shape or form... and sometimes I don't ;P.

As such - I'm all for things erratic, inconsistent and amorphous ^^".

I think the OP makes a good point. GOG doesn't have to be static (which some might equate with stagnant). But a modicum of predictability (the facets the OP described are good) is a good thing as, whether rational or not, it would connote reliability, as well.

I love surprises so I don't mind the infrequent release schedule. However, I also love a company that interacts with its customers, so more updates are always a joy to have :D

Even if GOG.com decided to do releases on Tuesday and Thursday, with a sale every weekend, there is plenty of room for variety and surprises. The whole point of news releases is to set up surprises and various unscheduled or rescheduled events, allowing flexibility while retaining the "connection" between GOG and its customers.

Variety and novelty (e.g. dealing with the unexpected) are all well and good, but they are best enjoyed when we have the "known" (e.g. being able to breathe and eat) as a support to lean on.


-Khalaq

Eh, I'm fine with inconsistent new release schedule. I do hope for more consistent 'extras', however, such as forum highlights, hidden gem of the week, mod highlights, interview with developers, series introspectives, and so on.