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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

#131

Post by hhh »

HeavyStorm wrote: post #124
Telaneo wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They don't because too many people pirate games to make that a viable business. Given how many games on Steam are sold either DRM free (you can just transfer the files over to another PC and they just work) or functionally DRM free (Steam's DRM is trivially bypassed, so one step removed from DRM free), this doesn't really scan. Other than games with Denuvo and multiplayer games, DRM is a non-issue for actual pirate…

Also, many such games are on gog DRM free, and certainly pirates don't care where they get their games.

Yes they do. When I used to pirate a lot of games because I was broke I was gleefully happy to see a GOG release.

The scene exists for a reason, it is a very trust based ecosystem.

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

#132

Post by andoando »

computerex wrote: post #110
georgeecollins wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 licens…

People only pirate games because the publishers make it too painful to play games legally. I have pirated games that I own simply because it's easier to play. This pattern has been shown time and time again. When people pirate, it's usually due to a problem with the experience. People pay for convenience. Now a days a lot of people are pirating games because the quality of games has gone down the drain. Publishers ar…

No they don't. I am tired of this feel good nonsense. I pirated games because it was free and I did not want to pay $60.

Just make your games a donation model if you really believe this. Or lets put up a version of Steam where all the games are free cracked copies of the game and see how it affects sales.

People pay precisely because they dont want to deal with the hassle pf pirating

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

#133

Post by rvnx »

SirMaster wrote: post #103
daedrdev wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Im pretty sure I read in the past GoG still sells you a license to a game in perpetuity, rather than ownership Of corse, practically there is little difference since they provide offline installers, so its much better to use GoG if you care about this. The reason they also do this is because of copyright, the license allows games to forbid you from redistribution more copies If Im wrong about this please let me know,…

>practically there is little difference since they provide offline installers Well it makes it hard or impossible to sell your copy of the game to someone else after you are done with it like we used to be able to do with console game discs and cartridges? Seems like a pretty big and practical difference to me.

You can also buy boxed things and have the problem. For example FL Studio, you buy the boxed edition 300 USD, and all you get is a serial number. Once it's linked to an account, it's over (and it's actually the only way).

If legislators want to do something good, they could force platforms to allow transfer of games between accounts.

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

#134

Post by gamesieve »

GaryBluto wrote: post #53
aeyes wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What game was a colossal flop? Cyberpunk was released too early but they kept on delivering patches and then the players game. It's their highest earning title.

IIRC they fixed various bugs but they didn't fix the broken promises. The biggest problems with Cyberpunk were architectural, things that would basically require redesigning the game to match what was promised.

Online sentiment has drastically changed about how bad those broken promises were - a near-complete turnaround, similar to what happened with No Man's Sky. Basically from when the DLC was released, most people started feeling that they fulfilled the essence of everything that was promised.

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

#136

Post by andrepd »

oriolid wrote: post #117
computerex wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People only pirate games because the publishers make it too painful to play games legally. I have pirated games that I own simply because it's easier to play. This pattern has been shown time and time again. When people pirate, it's usually due to a problem with the experience. People pay for convenience. Now a days a lot of people are pirating games because the quality of games has gone down the drain. Publishers ar…

I'm not completely convinced. When I was a teenager I pirated games because I didn't have money (and games were incredibly expensive back in the day). The people who I copied them from did it to show off their collection and connections, or just because they were my friends.

The thing is teenagers or poor people or people from third world countries that pirate for financial reasons just would not buy those games regardless. I'm unconvinced that those pirates affect sales in the end to any meaningful degree.

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

#137

Post by badsectoracula »

candiddevmike wrote: post #60
paxys wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes there is a difference. Steam sells you a license that can be revoked at any time. The games have DRM, and rely on cloud servers to authenticate you. If you turn your internet off they will all stop working after a certain period, even if fully downloaded. And if Steam or the DRM owner goes out of business you will end up with nothing. If you buy and download something from GOG, it is yours. You can still play it…

Not all steam games have DRM

This is true but you don't know ahead of time before you buy a game, you have to gamble on it being the case or not (i've found that while some lists exist in places like pcgamingwiki, they tend to be both very incomplete and often wrong).

Usually indie games tend to be DRM-free though, so if an indie game isn't available on GOG or Zoom Platform (another DRM-free store), i end up buying on Steam.

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

#138

Post by ninth_ant »

georgeecollins wrote: post #91
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 licens…

> They don't because too many people pirate games to make that a viable business.

This is an opinion, stated as if it’s fact.

There are many factors contributing to the ongoing success of steam. Ease of access, a strong network effect, word of mouth from satisfied customers, a strong ecosystem of tools and a modding platform, willingness to work across many platforms and a variety of vendors including competitors, and more.

Boiling this down to one factor of “too many people pirate” is dramatic oversimplification.

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

#139

Post by SXX »

paxys wrote: post #25
nicolaslem wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's fair to call Cyberpunk 2077 a colossal flop. It had an awful release, but the company stood behind it and fixed everything that needed fixing. Five years later it is now an acclaimed game that sold 35 million copies.

Yup, Cyberpunk 2077 has sold more copies in the same time frame than Witcher 3, which is routinely highlighted as one of the best and most successful games of all time. You have to give kudos to CD PROJEKT for not just abandoning the game after a bad launch (which is what every other major studio would have done in its place) but patiently fixing problems and constantly adding content over 5 years to get to the state…

Studious dont abandon failed releases because they are evil. Its just releases fail because they run out of money so there just nothing to burn to save them.

CDPR just was lucky enough to make enough money of failed release to fix it. Most companies get no chance to do it.

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

#140

Post by Aeolun »

mashlol wrote: post #36
paxys wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, Cyberpunk 2077 has sold more copies in the same time frame than Witcher 3, which is routinely highlighted as one of the best and most successful games of all time. You have to give kudos to CD PROJEKT for not just abandoning the game after a bad launch (which is what every other major studio would have done in its place) but patiently fixing problems and constantly adding content over 5 years to get to the state…

> which is what every other major studio would have done in its place Afaik CDPR doesn't make many games. If one flops, that might be the end of them. I don't see abandoning a game as a valid option for them from a financial perspective. Makes much more sense to fix the issues and sell more.

I think it’s more related to their reputation? People will buy the next one if they trust CDPR will fix anything wrong with it even if it flops.

Kinda how you trust paradox strategy titles to get several years of updates and expansions.

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