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Today GOG announced that Activision has joined the team of publishers that releases games through GOG’s DRM-free service. While I’m excited for the gradual release of the long list of great games that Activision owns the rights to, I am more excited for what this could potentially mean for the future of DRM-free products. Activision’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, is known for being all about the money and there have been numerous online-nerd-rants™ in regards to his business practices. The fact that someone as financially driven as Kotick believes there is money to be made through a site as adamantly anti-DRM as GOG is a big deal. It means GOG is successful enough to draw in the big boys and it means that we the consumers have shown that we put our money in the businesses that trust us. It seems most business assume you are a pirate (record industry/games industry), a terrorist (airline industry), or an imbecile (too many industries to list). GOG doesn’t make that assumption and this is why so many of us are not only just buying games from GOG, but are invested in seeing the company succeed and want to show our support.
Activision is a leader in the videogame industry. Others will follow their example. If Activision finds there is good money to be made through selling older games through GOG and consumers continue to choose GOG because it is the only real DRM free option, then publishers will start to take that chance and trust us, at least with their older games. As time goes by and awareness grows of the advantages of having DRM free games, it will seem unfair that we have to wait for a game to be considered old enough to become DRM Free in addition to the wait for a price drop. When people begin holding out on new release purchases because they are waiting for a game to gain DRM free status, then the whole industry could change. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I think GOG took a big step today not only as a company, but as leaders of the DRM-free revolution and the belief that costumers can be trusted.
Online-Nerd-Rants .... Classic!
Today felt like Christmas :)
+1
I really do hope all the companies start seeing the fact if they trust us we will come :)
I'm glad to see Activision here on GOG.
These are older games and most are out of print (retail) and very hard to find readily and easily. You'd likely never see anything new from Activision come here - since those games are top dollar and companies feel they need to protect their investment. Don't get me wrong - I'd love to see new games come w/ NO DRM - to me, that's going to make me more likely to buy your game. If an old game is out of print and a publisher who owns it does nothing with it, no money to be made off an old product - and that's not good for any publisher in business to make some more $$$.
Also this way, GOG and Activision actually make money off games that people have been clamoring for without either actually printing a copy of this thing physically. These games are being sold so cheap and are DRM-Free, there's really NO reason for anybody to even think of even pirating these games. Plus, GOG actually works some magic if necessary to get these old games working on modern systems - which is great. I think it's a win-win situation for both GOG and Activision.
Plus, if any of these old games sell well through GOG, maybe Activision will think of resurrecting some old IP's. I'd still love to see them get someone worthwhile to make an Arcanum 2 - like say Obsidian or Bioware. Though, Bioware would probably never happen, since they're in league with EA.
Post edited January 28, 2010 by MysterD
I totally agree. The real victory for GOG is not Activision's games but Activision itself. To have a company that has been so anti-consumer in the past turn around and not only sign on with GOG but also to treat the licenses with respect with proper pricing is brilliant news.
I was one of the people who said it would never happen and that if Activision ever signed on they would expect top dollar on ever game no matter the age, I was wrong on both counts. Maybe now Ubisoft will take a good hard look at themselves with their attitude to GOG and they might follow Activision's example and lower the cost of older games like HOMM.
Like I said on another thread with Activision on board it is no longer a question of will publisher X join GOG but when. EA, Lucasarts, Sega, Squee, THQ... it's all only a matter of time now.
Post edited January 28, 2010 by Delixe
avatar
akwater: Online-Nerd-Rants .... Classic!
Today felt like Christmas :)
+1
I really do hope all the companies start seeing the fact if they trust us we will come :)

Better than Christmas.
Good post, jungletoad. Well said. Here's to the revolution. ;)
I agree. Activision is certainly a massive coup for gog.com, even if the first two offerings don't exactly appeal to me. It's the massive history they bring with them for the future, and it makes other big names that much more likely to sign on, too.
I can't remember the last "new" game I bought at launch...wait, probably was "Oblivion : Collector's edition", and am much more likely to be playing games I used to play in the 90s : Diablo1; C&C1; Vampire:Bloodlines; to name a few, so this site is literally a gog-send for me (you see what I did there? :P )
I'm going to be eagerly looking at the news on this site each lunchtime over the coming weeks for what's released. I'm sure at least 1 will be an insta-buy. Probably 2 or 3 ^_^
Well done, Gog Team!
Activision is a powerful force for fuuture negotiation. Assuming their stuff sells well GOG can then basically tease Lucasarts & EA by talking about how much activision is making for basically $0 in costs
Lsts just hope they'll be the crowbar strong enough to prise open the doors of the rusted shut EA warehouse