Very well put.

They're not going under but they have more or less failed to hold on to the values they started with. I actually don't think it will be very long until they accept a game with micro-transactions or cosmetic DLCs, a little bit longer until one with DRM comes along. But it's pretty much guaranteed there will be DRM here in some form or another.

Values-based services just don't last, sadly. Telltale was one, they've transmogrified into a shadow of their former self.

It's inevitable but it will be gradual. One thing GOG will always do is hold on for dear life. They will dodge those bullets for as long as possible but they are slipping.

Think about this: GOG rejected The Journey Down - a perfect title for GOG - because it is episodic (it's not actually episodic, it's just a planned trilogy) but accepted Omerta, which no one likes especially due to the insane amount of shitty DLC it has. If GOG was not losing itself, this would have gone the other way around and they'd have told Kalypso where to stick it instead of telling SkyGoblin that episodic games are not fit for GOG. What's not fit for GOG is anti-consumer tripe like Omerta.

And now we have Galaxy which, sure, is not DLC, but it will inevitably be a matchmaking/tracking service. It's not going to feel like it's optional, its features will be far too alluring for a lot of people. Put it this way - Steam would still be used as widely as it is even if it was optional.

It's true they have to make compromises in order to keep the catalogue going, but the compromises they're making are geared towards new releases rather than the classics they set out to preserve. In that regard, maybe it would have been better not to allow new games in.

So, yeah. GOG's not dying. It has just lost sight of what it set out to do, which was to put an end to all the bullshit in digital distribution. Instead, it's joining in with the downspiral that this particular market is. Sadly, I think we have to wait for another GOG to come around.

SORRY FOR UPSETTING YOU

yes, I was hoping this just wasn't in response to peoples' reactions to the new website. Many don't like change.

Hello there, Doomsayer! Allow me to introduce you to the Ironbeak Owl...

Curious how this is mentioned around the site redesign and focus change (the addition of movies). We may actually have some insight into how a shutdown of GOG.com would be handled, taken from events during the last redesign and focus change (the addition of modern games) four years ago.

History time - Late 3Q 2010, GOG.com (Then branded GOG, for Good Old Games) performed an 'everything is on sale, download your library, we're probably done' publicity stunt for their then undisclosed GOG.com (addition of modern games) redesign and transition. GOG.com clarified afterwards that the purpose of the announcement was to signify the death of the GOG branding and their sole focus on old games, but not the service. After the fallout, GOG.com promised to be forthcoming in the future, stating that they would inform their customer base in a clear professional and respectful manner regarding any real issues with keeping the service going and that they would not attempt another stunt like it in the future.

If you wondered where the Penitent Monk character in TW2 came from, that would be the reference.

Apology video: GOG revival ch0

* All of these statements are of my own opinion based on my recollection of events from four years ago.