Hello,
as backer I'm supposed to be able to pre-download the game one or 2 days before the release.

Would that be possible on Gog ?

My guess is no, Gog being DRM-free, but I nonetheless ask the question.

GoG has had a pre-load before, Witcher 3. I can't remember if they had a pre-load for Elex. Those were the only 2 games I have ever pre-ordered before on GoG, other than this game. So they do have the capability to do pre-loads.

Witcher 3 was missing important files in the pre-load, so it wasn't possible to play the game prior to launch.

Thanks for the answer.

Hope they can set this up for Battletech then :)

It was just confirmed by a community manager over on the Paradox forums that the pre-load will only be available on Steam. Too bad for us.

Yep, saw that.
Now we can only hope Gog is not too late to release the game.

is there any reason gog does not get a pre-load like steam? is it a gog issue or a pub one? If its a gog issue have they given an explanation why that is the case? (usually don't pre-order on gog but i wanted to start using the service more).

Pre - loads by definition need to have most of the download transferred but not allow play prior to the actual release date. In other distribution channels DRM is allowed and this is thus the way that the game is prevented from launching early. It is possible to do this without traditional DRM by withholding some crucial files instead. The latter method takes a little extra effort and GOG would still have to approve the specific implementation. Developers likely prefer to avoid the extra work and hassle by only allowing preloads on a platform that makes it easy to do with DRM incorporated into the client platform, such as Steam. HBS has released in a couple of other channels as well but only enabled pre-loads on Steam. It is a feature enabled by the way DRM is handled within the Steam client without any extra effort by the developers.

Bummer, but I understand the reasoning.

at least we are not in Australia they have to wait til the 25th.

Well,
currently it is 7:20 am in my country (CET) and I have to wait 10 more hours (+ installation time).
Not much less than Australian.

All in all, I'm quite sure it is the exact same time all over the world, but we have this 24 hours shift :)

wait when is this unlocking?

was the whole premise of pre ordering i thought?

By pre-ordering you get the Shadowhawk special skin.
If you go in your library and click Battletech you will see the countdown.

it is releasing at 9am PDT (US Time Zone) on April 24th.

Yep that corresponds to the countdown on gog.
It will be 6pm in my country.