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General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted February 21, 2014
The DRM-Free Revolution Continues with Big Pre-Orders and Launch Day Releases!

Good news! GOG.com is going to bring you more fantastic launch day releases, preorders, and other exciting new content from some of our favorite developers. We've lined up 3 big titles that we will be bringing to GOG.com in the next couple of months for sale or preorder that we think will be hits with all of our gamers; and we have more equally exciting games coming up soon.

If you've been a member of the site for a long time, you may recall that when we launched sales of The Witcher 2 on GOG.com, we had to add in regional pricing. The game cost different amounts in in the US, the UK, the European Union, and Australia. We're doing something like that once again in order to bring you new titles from fantastic bigger studios. Since we don't accept currencies other than USD on GOG.com right now, we'll be charging the equivalent of the local price in USD for these titles. We wish that we could offer these games at flat prices everywhere in the world, but the decision on pricing is always in our partners' hands, and regional pricing is becoming the standard around the globe. We're doing this because we believe that there's no better way to accomplish our overall goals for DRM-Free gaming and GOG.com. We need more games, devs, and publishers on board to make DRM-Free gaming something that's standard for all of the gaming world!

That brings with it more good news, though! As mentioned, we have three games we're launching soon with regional pricing--two RPGs and a strategy game--and while we can't tell you what they are yet because breaking an NDA has more severe penalties than just getting a noogie, we're confident that you'll be as excited about these games as we are. For a limited time, we will be offering anyone who pre-orders or buys one of them a free game from a selection as a gift from GOG.com, just like we did for The Witcher 2.

If you have any questions, hit us up in the comments below and we'll be happy to answer (to the best of our ability).

EDIT: Since we've answered a lot of the common questions already here (and lest you think that we've ignored you), it may be handy for you to check out the forum thread about this and search for staff answers by clicking this link here. (hat tip to user Eli who reminded us that the feature even exists. :)
Posted February 21, 2014
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Now that the initial shock and horror is out of the way I have this to say to developers and publishers.

******** for Developers and Publishers ********
1. If you charge exorbitant rates for Australian customers I will not buy your game on first release, no matter how good I think it is. I will wait until it is on a very very very good special if I infact get it at all.

2. If I kickstart backed the a game project, and I see you screwing over consumers with region pricing, I will never back a future game project you make. I will in fact actively try and get the word out for others to not back you either. It is not just about making a game it is also about giving a damn about the gamers playing your game.

3. If I see a publisher / developer overcharging through regional pricing on a a game release. I will ensure my future purchasing of games from that developer / publisher will reflect my attitudes on that, either not purchasing or not for much (I have a long memory and hold grudges).

Find a fair price that will work for you for global revenue and stick to it. You might find it results in more sales on first release rather than on greatly reduced price specials.

Oh and I still won't tolerate DRM, yes I do buy some from steam, but I always buy a DRM free copy from GOG. In fact on average I buy full price or higher prices on GOG and only complete bargain prices 75% or less on steam. That's how I roll.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by deonast
Posted February 21, 2014
So long as the games remain uncensored and DRM-free, I don't mind this change.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Niggles: In case u didnt realise it Humble has been bending over and taking it for ages now....
The Humble Store, Humble Widget and Humble Bundles had one price for the whole world and weren't just Steam key bundles (only the weekly had that, and the publishers' specific bundles, no Humble ones). It started to really change only recently.
Posted February 21, 2014
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deonast: Now that the initial shock and horror is out of the way I have this to say to developers and publishers.

******** for Developers and Publishers ********
1. If you charge exorbitant rates for Australian customers I will not buy your game on first release, no matter how good I think it is. I will wait until it is on a very very very good special if I infact get it at all.

2. If I kickstart backed the a game project, and I see you screwing over consumers with region pricing, I will never back a future game project you make. I will in fact actively try and get the word out for others to not back you either. It is not just about making a game it is also about giving a damn about the gamers playing your game.

3. If I see a publisher / developer overcharging through regional pricing on a a game release. I will ensure my future purchasing of games from that developer / publisher will reflect my attitudes on that, either not purchasing or not for much (I have a long memory and hold grudges).

Find a fair price that will work for you for global revenue and stick to it. You might find it results in more sales on first release rather than on greatly reduced price specials.

Oh and I still won't tolerate DRM, yes I do buy some from steam, but I always buy a DRM free copy from GOG. In fact on average I buy full price or higher prices on GOG and only complete bargain prices 75% or less on steam. That's how I roll.
I like the way you roll.

Problem is, most people complaining about this change of mind sure talk the talk, but probably won't walk the walk, and they'd rather get angry at GOG than taking this chance to show publishers and developers they don't agree with regional pricing, by simply refusing to buy region-priced titles or titles they don't think are being sold for a fair price.

Sure, GOG is a company and they need to think about money, profit, revenue... but I don't think they're oblivious to customers' needs and wishes, and the truth is this measure is likely to bring some heavy-weight devs, publishers and games on board. Who knows?, maybe even ones gamers have been craving for a long time to join the GOG catalog.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Wishbone: Translation: Every game in the catalog will eventually be regionally priced, as and when the contracts come up for renegotiation. Since it is now an option, every publisher will insist on it in the future.
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TheEnigmaticT: Well, no. That's not what I'm trying to say. What I'm trying to say is what I actually said there.

But let's suppose that when a contract comes up for offer, someone asks about a $5.99 game on GOG. It's been selling well, but they wanna know what we're doing about localizing our prices. While they make up their own minds about pricing, we can give them advice and make recommendations based upon our experience as experts in the field of "selling games online." There's, what, 3 stores on the 'Net that have 700 or more games in their catalog? 4? Our advice does carry with it some weight. Don't you think that, given what we've already said about our goals for keeping regional prices fair that it might not be a reasonable to believe that we're gonna push for that game to be 4.49 EUR or something like that instead of 5.99 EUR? That's indubitably regional pricing and regional currencies, but I think it's manifestly fair and probably even better for local users than what we have now.

Is that what's going to happen? Heck, Wishbone, I dunno. As I've made clear elsewhere in the thread, this is early days for this particular news. We're telling you guys about this now because we have some regionally-priced games lined up soon and needed to tell you guys about this before their releases, but this is also something that's developing as we speak. I realize that thinking of regional pricing as something other than "you're about to get screwed over" can be tough to conceive, given how other stores have approached this, but let's see what's possible before lighting a pitchfork,* okay?

*if you're lighting a pitchfork on fire, you've done something terribly wrong. Please consult your instruction manual or call technical support.
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Marcomies: Thank you for honest and mostly unevasive answers.
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TheEnigmaticT: I appreciate the qualifier, there. :P
Thanks for hanging around and continuing to answer questions, TeT. It makes a big difference to me. I'm glad to see that you guys are thinking carefully about this to try and do it differently than it's been done before, and I appreciate both the heads-up and the thread-sitting. I'm not thrilled to see regional pricing here but I'm willing to see how it shakes out before making any judgement calls. Hopefully everything goes well and this change is everything GOG hopes and nothing the users fear.

I mean, that's not likely, but I can be optimistic. :)
Post edited February 21, 2014 by HGiles
Posted February 21, 2014
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In case people forgets, i´m quoting it for posterity.

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TheEnigmaticT: If we ever add DRM to GOG.com, I'll eat my freaking hat. And video it for you all to see. ;)
Posted February 21, 2014
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vulchor: Off topic, but I can't seem to remember how to tell how many games I own on here, besides counting them. Pretty sure somewhere on this site lists the number. Or am I totally off?
Click on Barefoot Essentials, then Configure Barefoot Essentials.
Switch "no" to "yes" on the last entry Always display shelf/ list game count.


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StingingVelvet: Incomes, average wages and general economies are very different. One price worldwide is not realistic or fair.
Nor is the current regional pricing model and that's the one the big publishers will choose since it's working great for them.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by HypersomniacLive
Posted February 22, 2014
high rated
I hope GOG is keeping score: of the 1000+ post in this thread only 17 people so far have said they're ok with the "great news". Everyone else is naturally disgusted.
Posted February 22, 2014
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One of the reasons why I loved GOG is because they said "Fuck it" and went their own way offering fair prices and DRM free games.

While I'm an American and this won't effect me, it's very sad to see GOG lose it ways.

I've seen corruption and oppression growing excessively around the world, in the gaming industry and internet, and now I see GOG pulling some shady shit like this these last few months. I could careless for a few more games, values are waaay more important to me, and I know for a fact shit is only going to get worst, it always does. You need to stop fooling around and listen to your customers, one of the reason many of us come here is because you are different, and to avoid this type of bullshit to begin with.
Posted February 22, 2014
Hi GOG,

Just wanted to chime in and say that while I'm a little disappointed at this change, I think I understand your reasons and I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. What it comes down to is, you guys have earned a lot of goodwill from me in the almost two years that I've been here, and I trust you - which is to say, I trust that you're making this decision without cynicism and with the best interests of the company and community at heart. Now that's not a blind trust, and if the new system ends up feeling abusive I'll be as heartbroken as anyone, but I'm not going to assume that's happening unless I have concrete reasons to think so.

None of this is intended as criticism of those who are expressing their concerns or discontent in this thread - you have valid reasons for feeling that way, and I'm not trying to silence your opinions. But for my own part, I'm going to reserve judgement on this one.

I also want to personally thank TET for taking this heat without offence and for being straightforward with the community (as much as you can be, under the circumstances). I know it's not easy facing this kind of blowback and imprecations. But really, it's a testament to how special this place is that its denizens seek to guard it so assiduously.
Posted February 22, 2014
high rated
Tried to post this earlier and my internet up and died, so I'm posting it now. Living in the wilderness definitely has its downsides.

---------
What bothers me is that this really was a foundational support for GOG. This is chipping away at GOG's platform and not adding to it. Adding modern games made sense, it expanded the platform. Adding Mac games made sense, adding Linux games would make sense, adding being the key method. Enhancing, embellishing. Not destroying, removing. This opens a door to new games, yes, but at the cost that GOG removes a serious portion of what made GOG, well, GOG. GOG has a fair bit of weight to their name, by standing firm they made the other digital distributors look foolish. They offered an option, an alternative, and proved it was viable.

For posterity's sake:
Fair prices worldwide
One fair global price for all gamers. It does not matter matter where you live, we will not charge €9.99 or £9.99 for a $9.99 game.
[url=http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-UJAfwyDvy0J:www.gog.com/welcome?pp%3Dd06b6c54863ac33d12419dd04f7acb85c696f722+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us]Source[/url]

----
Fair worldwide price and equal worldwide availability

Fair price policy
We believe that all gamers should be treated equally. No matter where you live, we offer you the same price as any other customer, even if we have to cover the difference in price out of our own pocket. It's part of what we call our Customer Love philosophy.
Source

GOG has done customer surveys before to see where the audience stands. Was one ever done for "Would you be okay with regional pricing for day one games?" If the survey was conducted, what were the results? If not, why was it not done?
Post edited February 22, 2014 by Melhelix
Posted February 22, 2014
I've got to start writing Nirth at the end of my posts as it's a kick ass way to keep track of my own posts if I forget them where they are (stupid forum, no post/thread tracking.)

Anyway, I'm curious as to how GOG will handle VPNs and proxies? Will they be allowed? I mean technically they're legal, it's like the difference between tax evasion and tax avoidance (at least in countries where one is legal and the other is not) if I'm not mistaken.
Post edited February 22, 2014 by Nirth
Posted February 22, 2014
I for one agree with this from a business point of view. It seems fairly obvious, to me, that at some point GOG was going to need to support more day 1 releases if they are to stay relevant. I am willing to bet the vast majority of today's GOG users are here because of nostalgia for the games they grew up on. Games, I may mention, that were not on Steam for a day 1 release because there was no Steam at the time. Time is not on GOG's side if they are going to focus mainly on pre-Steam, 2003 if I recall correctly, releases. I have to wonder how much harder it is for GOG to get a game that was originally released on Steam and how much lower, in quantity of sales, they experience for said game if it has already been available for digital distribution for x number of years before coming to GOG. Good Old Games was able to identify a market opportunity that was not being met at the time and created something wonderful for me and my fellow "old" gamers but my kid's generation will not have the same affinity for these classics (in my case I hold all of Sierra's games close to heart) that we do. To not bite the bullet and change one of their core competencies to support new releases would mean serving an ever shrinking niche market.

Please do not misunderstand me, I think it sucks for all of those in geographies that will be impacted by this but I have to believe that GOG truly did examine all of their options and complete their due diligence in making this decision. I am sure they were fully aware at how this was going to ruffle up feathers and I am fairly sure the forum moderators knew today was not going to be their most favorite day at work. ;-)
Posted February 22, 2014
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fr33kSh0w2012: Yep it will be Aussies that will be hit hardest but hell if i can get SILENT HILL SERIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO

Silent hill 1
Silent hill 2
Silent hill 3
Silent hill 4 THE ROOM (I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT THIS GAME)
Silent Hil 5 (already got it on steam though it was the Shittiest silent Hill of all!)
Silent hill 6
SIlent hill 7
Silent Hill 8

I mean ALL THE SILENT HILL GAMES I will Forever be SO SO Happy GOG.com have you Guys considered selling Emulated games like emulated on PS one emulators and or N64 emulators! or even GB emulators! even Scummvm emulation is okay! for scumm type games Like Day of the Tentacle *HINT* *HINT* and Indiana Jones and th fate of atlantis TALKIE edition!
I agree as easy as it is to emulate games these days I dont see why publishers wont sale individual roms. I don't think there is anything stopping them as far as it not being played on the original console or anything but it I just dont see any reason not to. Some of them say its because of piracy that they wouldn't make money off of it, I myself have downloaded a lot of roms and abandonware, some of which made it's way to gog. The thing is that even though I already had the game I still bought it. Why? Because as long as you make it available at a reasonable price and don't treat me like a thief (DRM), even though i may be one, I'll still buy because I dont want to hurt the developers. The reason way their pirated so muchis because their not being made available.
Posted February 22, 2014
After 20+ pages of this thread I must say that GOG needs better public relations. No matter how good the intentions are, if your press release does not appease fears that gog.com has plans to turn into another steam them someone did not do his/her homework. Steve Jobs is a prime example, no matter what frightening new path Apple took, customers kept eating whatever he fed them.

Anyhow I look forward to more games (both new and old) that this deal will bring and still hope third world countries will get the deals I keep hearing Russia gets >_< Paying in pesos would be nice in theory (I know gog has no plans for my currency atm), but if it is going to be like Amazon (that uses an inflated conversion rate) I prefer to keep paying in USD.
Post edited February 22, 2014 by mangamuscle
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)