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GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

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Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#91

Post by georgeecollins »

Fiveplus wrote: post #23

> Can I still download offline installers? Yes. This is the only line I was looking for. I stopped buying on Steam sometime ago because I realized I was just renting licenses. GOG is the only major storefront where I feel like I actually own the product. As long as offline installers remain a core tenet, I don't care who owns the company. That said, it helps that it's someone returning to their roots rather than a pr…

OK, but the model that Valve pioneered is the model that supports 90% of all commercial PC games made today, a higher percentage if you cut out MMOs and free to play games, which you certainly don't own.

I love GoG and I have worked closely with a lot of people there on projects they are great. This announcement seems like good news.

No one has to sell games on Steam. No one has to use a model where they "rent licenses". They could sell you everything DRM free. They don't because too many people pirate games to make that a viable business.

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#92

Post by tracerbulletx »

fooqux wrote: post #47

I used to love gog. I purchased a bunch of stuff back when they were talking a big game around supporting Linux with their Galaxy client. But while gog was talking, Valve was actually doing . Building an actual Linux client. Making multiplayer actually work. Not to mention all the work they've done with Proton and upstreamimg graphics drivers. I hope gog succeeds. I just value Linux gaming support over not having DRM…

I think it's perfectly realistic to think there is a substantial risk of losing library content you've bought on Valve in the next 20 years. Don't know what the odds are, but they're greater than zero.

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#93

Post by benoau »

dangus wrote: post #49
paxys wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, for the duration of whenever Steam decides to say "fuck you".

Which is basically never. They have no incentive to do that except for extreme circumstances, and they have all the leverage in the world over game publishers. Delisted games tend to stay in your library for redownload. I never understood the cynicism for digital media, it’s been multiple decades now and the model clearly works. Obviously I prefer zero DRM but it’s also not a hard line requirement for me personally.

All of this is based on the assumption that the way it was done is the way it will be done.

Who will own and run Steam 30 years from now? Gabe Newell will be long-gone, his nepobaby next-CEO will be closing in on retirement if they don't check-out early to enjoy their vast wealth like Gabe has done.

What does Steam look like 60 years from now? Adults using it today are mostly dead and all of their licenses revoked forever, the games removed from circulation gone forever because nobody can ever have a license to use them again. They might be onto their 4th, 5th or 6th CEO by then, half a century removed from Gabe and any expectations we have around the ways he did things.

There's a lot of room for improvement securing some sort of legacy for Steam.

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#94

Post by bcye »

Ekaros wrote: post #69
apetresc wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I understand your figures. What is "32 thousand PLN", surely their entire annual profit for all of 2024 was not literally 32K PLN (approx. 9K USD)? Is this measured in millions? And whatever they're measured in, surely 32K to 910K in the span of a year is considered excellent progress?

No it was actually just circa 9 thousand Euros from GOG.COM. And it seems there was period of having potential loss of million PLN as well in Q3 of 2024 I think. So it looks quite variable based on which products release. See: https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/wp-content/uploads-en/2025/11/c... Starting from page 28.

Maybe they are just heavily reinvesting?

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#95

Post by phendrenad2 »

metadope wrote: post #72
thomascountz wrote: post #13

In case I'm not the only one who didn't know what GOG stood for: “GOG stands for freedom, independence, and genuine control.” But actually, it stands (stood?) for Good Old Games. :)

I stand agog as I breathlessly await the next exciting element of this discussion.

I'm waiting for MAGOG so the Biblical End Times can begin.

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#96

Post by SirMaster »

Fiveplus wrote: post #23

> Can I still download offline installers? Yes. This is the only line I was looking for. I stopped buying on Steam sometime ago because I realized I was just renting licenses. GOG is the only major storefront where I feel like I actually own the product. As long as offline installers remain a core tenet, I don't care who owns the company. That said, it helps that it's someone returning to their roots rather than a pr…

>GOG is the only major storefront where I feel like I actually own the product.

How do we re-sell our GOG games to someone else?

If I own it I should be able to sell it again, right? Like I used to sell old console game disks after I was done with them.

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#97

Post by its-summertime »

fooqux wrote: post #47

I used to love gog. I purchased a bunch of stuff back when they were talking a big game around supporting Linux with their Galaxy client. But while gog was talking, Valve was actually doing . Building an actual Linux client. Making multiplayer actually work. Not to mention all the work they've done with Proton and upstreamimg graphics drivers. I hope gog succeeds. I just value Linux gaming support over not having DRM…

There is only 1 Steam client for Linux, and there will only ever be one client, and that client has had basic issues (context menus being a completely new window that steals focus, comes to mind instantly) that have been unresolved year after year.

For GOG, there are plenty of clients for Linux [1][2][3][4], And they are open source, I can go and talk to the people making these clients directly, I can give feedback, I can make changes to make these clients better (and to a small degree, I already have).

[1]: https://sharkwouter.github.io/minigalaxy/

[2]: https://sites.google.com/site/gogdownloader/

[3]: https://heroicgameslauncher.com/

[4]: https://www.hyperplay.xyz/

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#98

Post by pjmlp »

yunnpp wrote: post #82
pjmlp wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also refuse to install their shop, Web powered "native" apps only the unavoidable ones.

I think the only value it adds is cloud saves. The UI is otherwise the worst way to explore your library or the store, crawls to death performance-wise and isn't even a good UX in principle. For example, if you're on page X of a search, click on a game, and go back, guess where that takes you? Yup, page 0 baby, going to have to click next X times again (there is also only previous and next; you can't fast-jump.) Ther…

I have it easier having Windows as main OS.

Re: GOG is getting acquired by its original co-founder

#100

Post by Ekaros »

bcye wrote: post #94
Ekaros wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it was actually just circa 9 thousand Euros from GOG.COM. And it seems there was period of having potential loss of million PLN as well in Q3 of 2024 I think. So it looks quite variable based on which products release. See: https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/wp-content/uploads-en/2025/11/c... Starting from page 28.

Maybe they are just heavily reinvesting?

I think reality is that being game retailer is harsh market if you are anyone else but Valve with Steam. Selling copies redeemed on Steam is workable, but seeing that pretty much all big publishers are back on Steam should tell a lot of state of the market. And GOG has bigger mind share than actual market share.
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