GOG gone? DRM'd? WTF?

[aaron]

Publishers ought to just release all old games as freeware, or abandonware for that matter. A few already do that, and kudos to them too, but is there a reason why the likes of DN3D are still being sold when its engine has been open-sourced for many years now?

probably just because they can still make money on it. if there's someone willing to pay for something, and you're a business, chances are that you're not going to just give it away.

[Niode]

Guys, if you want a discussion on piracy can you please move it to one of the piracy topics we already have. Let's keep this thread on topic. Thanks.

[nightrnr]

I am so pissed right now. I have games there that I bought but haven't even downloaded yet. And there were several others that I was going to get. Not to mention all the extras that I never got around to downloading (goodbye soundtracks )

**Sigh** I hope that they can still sell some of the games (if not most) as they were, untouched by greedy bas***ds (with extras the way they were).

I know they are working on a "solution to allow everyone to re-download their games". But will they be exactly the way they were and with extras available? I at least want what I paid for.

I will be following this very closely.

[ns12123]

This is likely a very poor publicity stunt. Check their Facebook page. It sounds like they're making changes and this is their attempt at viral marketing.

EDIT: Since the Facebook page is flooded with mourning, I'd like to mention that there's some sort of big announcement that's planned for this Wednesday.

EDIT 2 (Stolen from a Reddit comment):

This ISN'T TRUE. In three days (22nd September) CD Projekt will organize a press conference where they're preparing some announcement regarding GOG.com.

Michał Kiciński from their PR department wrote on a Polish business discussion forum:

Uwaga, data konferencji to pewnie 22gi sroda wczesnym wieczorem. Informacja o tym wkrotce na GOG.com (prosze nie robic paniki po przeczytaniu informacji tam umieszczonych:)

Which translates to:

Please note, the conference date is 22nd, Wednesday, early evening. We'll post information about it on GOG.com (please don't panic when you'll read the information we'll post there:)

Link:

EDIT 3: As far as the piracy debate goes, I doubt the majority of gamers knows how to pirate most games. I'm always surprised by how computer illiterate gamers can be, given their hobby. DRM is often a big enough pain in the ass to deter the faint of heart, and easy cracks usually aren't available in the launch week of a game. Take into account also the vast amount of unworking and/or virus ridden torrents on public torrent sites, and it's no longer a user-friendly attraction.

[nightrnr]

Okay, I've calmed down a bit as it appears (from their most recent post) that I will still get everything that I payed for (even soundtracks).

I'm still going to be a bit nervous until I can finally download everything that I bought though.

I'm afraid that we won't get the same opportunity for games that we didn't buy yet. I'm not saying that GOG won't sell them, but the "DRM-free with extras" thing might not be the same.

For instance, I like being able to copy the game to disc and install it to another computer without needing an internet connection. It sounds like that might not be an option anymore.

Whatever though. We'll see what happens later this week...

[Hatta]

If they put DRM on their games, just pirate instead. If they're going to try to fuck you over, fuck them over. It's only fair.

I doubt GOG would go DRM though. They're too clever for that. They know nobody is going to buy this shit with DRM, it's all out there DRM free already.

[irixith]

UPDATE 20.09.2010
First of all, we apologize everyone for the whole situation and closing GOG.com. We do understand the timing for taking down the site caused confusion and many users didn't manage to download all their games. Unfortunately we had to close the service due to business and technical reasons.

At the same time we guarantee that every user who bought any game on GOG.com will be able to download all their games with bonus materials, DRM-free and as many times as they need starting this Thursday.

The official statement from GOG.com's management concerning the ongoing events is planned on Wednesday. If you want to receive further information about GOG.com, please send an email to [email protected] if you're a media representative or to [email protected] if you're a user without a GOG account.

[Hobie-wan]

Publishers ought to just release all old games as freeware, or abandonware for that matter. A few already do that, and kudos to them too, but is there a reason why the likes of DN3D are still being sold when its engine has been open-sourced for many years now?

Don't want to distract too much from the conversation, but a quick reply to this. Open sourcing the engine is not the same as giving the game away. An engine needs scripting and artwork to be a game.

[jfrost]

Weird that they close down the website so abruptly just after a weekend sale.

[ns12123]

Again, they're not going anywhere. They're restructuring and undergoing changes. Expect an announcement today.

For further proof, check this link out: http://www.1up.com/news/good-old-games- ... tting-down