The game itself isn't calling home - it's just spotting the Steam process running on your computer and talking to that. Steam may then call home, but if calling home is your concern I would wonder why you're running Steam at all.
For the game on GOG that does this the developer explained that they made a single "universal version" that can talk to Steam if it's running, Galaxy if it's running or neither if they're not running and the game works in all cases. I don't see that as DRM because neither the presence nor the absence of Steam or Galaxy affects the running of the game.

And that's fine for you, but if a game is DRM free then it shouldn't be looking for anything.

If it does then it should go to a fake file like a lot of Steam only games here do. Deus Ex Mankind Divided for example calls fakes files from GOG so Steam doesn't detect it.

Edit: I'll I'm saying its ZOOM could of done better and not had it tag into Steam.

But by definition it isn't DRM if it doesn't restrict the running of the game at all. I'm not defending it and you're quite right to say that maybe it shouldn't be doing that but it still doesn't make it DRM.

We all have different definitions of DRM. I just feel that it shouldn't be looking for Steam if I choose to have it open.

You don't mind that and that's fine but I still feel that's that DRM searching my machine for certain running processes.

Yes, but the thing all definitions of DRM have in common is that DRM manages your rights. Your right to run the game is unaffected by the game saying hello to Steam, so it's not DRM. I'm not saying it's not bad, I'm just saying not everything bad is DRM.

True. I just find it interesting that Zoom can make a deal like this whereas GOG - being much bigger than Zoom - seemingly can't. I guess GOG may simply choose not to.

I agree its not DRM but DRM has become so common now its used as a shortcut (So I used that.) But even so it should not be searching my system.

Yeah, I guess you could say it's DRM-adjacent. It's certainly not something I particularly want a game doing, but since I don't keep Steam running in the background I guess I never really noticed.

Fair enough. I'm more said that it went to exclusive though as that's just bad, and something I feel the gaming industry needs to move forward from.

Yeah, definitely. Exclusivity is unhealthy.

I don't think GOG is more vested at the moment in a particular game (or in general), whereas smaller shops like Zoom can be. Nor is GOG particularly dynamic when it comes to their business... if you think a "delay in response" is something specific to GOG support, you're in for a surprise.

But the question I think most people don't ask themselves is "If Jordan Freeman had the resources Gabe Newell has, over night, what kind of a store would Zoom become?". Perhaps exclusivity deals are a sign of things to come...

Jordan Freeman= Gordon Freeman? The signs were always right in front of us and we never saw it coming :). Cheers

I disagree with exclusivity even from GOG. But A Vampyre Story is an older game that was on GOG, and was only on retail or Steam till then and ZOOM then took exclusivity, not cool.

No one 'took it' it was delisted everyone and an agreement was made, the same way GOG has some exclusivity agreements. I know it sucks when you can't use the store of choice, but it's a little funny it's only a problem as long as goes against your personal preference!