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General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
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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 22, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: Retail will be handled by Namco Bandai for both Europe and Australia. Does Namco Bandai love regional pricing? Did they handle retail of The Witcher 2 with regional pricing? Did they take CDPR and GOG to court over violation of their no_undermining_of_retail_regional_pricing agreement?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, what makes you think that it's going to play out differently with The Witcher 3?
I think nothing. I just find it hilariously ironic, that's all.
Posted February 22, 2014
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Duke22: I can understand the frustration, but this is the important thing to read and remember here:

"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."

GOG is basically in the same position that a company like Netflix is in, they are a retailer and they have to get permission from the game studios to sell games. As such, they have to make some compromises to get certain games on here. Their opinion on regional pricing is noted, but they don't really have much say in the matter. If you have a problem with regional pricing, write to the publishers/developers and let them know what you think. Boycott them if you are so inclined. But it isn't GOG's fault.
The problem here is that the exact same argument can be applied to DRM. There's really nothing at all differentiating them, other than GOG keeping their foot down on the matter. They could've done the exact same thing with fair pricing, but they didn't.

Most people here realize that the only thing keeping DRM being here is them sticking to their core values. So seeing one of the other core values get dropped like this makes them nervous. Because really, it could have been DRM just the same.
Posted February 22, 2014
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iippo: I do not understand what is the big deal about release launches and preorders anyways. The core-customers of GOG game here do not really care about those i dare to say.

Trust is funny thing that it can be the hardest most durable thing ever, but it can also evaporate in blink of an eye.

Would be cool to have been in GOG when they had some meetings about deciding to do these things. Someone is so utterly out of touch with GOG's customer base its incredible.

Then again, ive been in bit similar situation twice in my working life - seeing huge decisions made against common sense by "professionals" that i am not really surprised. At both of those times time prooved me right. Again i wish i was wrong about this one, but i unfortunately do not thing i am.
Regarding GOG's customer base. I wouldn't be so quick to say that someone's so utterly out of touch with it.
Don't forget that ever since at least the Insomnia Sale (maybe even a bit earlier) a large number of new people arrived and stayed. I suspect that a good number of those are a completely different generation of gamers with other tastes/ priorities/ habits than the "core-customers". One or more persons on GOG have to come up with ideas and ways to keep them here and also bring more people in - it wouldn't be a big surprise to me if in a year's time the "core-customers" are not the majority of GOG's total customers, if not already.
It's not unthinkable that the changes GOG has planned for this year, including the current one, are more aimed towards the new(er) customers, potential customers, plus a percentage of the "core-customers".
Just my 2c.
Posted February 22, 2014
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groze: ...That's all I think we should do, give GOG the benefit of the doubt...
What doubt? They've told us plainly that they're doing it.
Posted February 22, 2014
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groze: ...That's all I think we should do, give GOG the benefit of the doubt...
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ydobemos: What doubt? They've told us plainly that they're doing it.
I'll give GOG the benefit, but the publishers are going to be getting tossed to the lions.
Posted February 22, 2014
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hedwards: I don't know about that. They had region free pricing that they've chucked. I'm not sure how burning down the house to save the house makes much sense.
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adamhm: DRM-free and worldwide pricing are two separate issues and each of them a big deal for the major publishers, but only the DRM-free issue is something they can "easily" overcome (i.e. they're not forced by contracts & dependencies on other companies etc).

Worldwide pricing however is a much harder thing for GOG to get publishers to agree to as they will have contracts with retailers, local distributors etc. that specify minimum prices for different regions. Digital releases must adhere to the agreed pricing (typically the RRP for each region) or else they'll get into legal trouble for breach of contract and those retailers & distributors will not stock their games in future. They can't afford to just ignore the retail channels as they're still too important for the publishers to drop. The only way to offer a worldwide pricing scheme that would comply with this would be for GOG to offer the games at the most expensive price anywhere in the world - not a viable solution at all.

I'm not sure that having AAA games here is worthwhile if they have to piss off the loyal customers in order to have the same deal available elsewhere.
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adamhm: Well buying the games here isn't the same deal as anywhere else, even if it costs the same; the difference is here they'll be DRM-free (which is a big, *BIG* deal for me, personally. Fuck DRM). Possibly also some extra bonus stuff too that you won't get on Steam or elsewhere.

Take for example, South Park: The Stick of Truth, which I'm looking forward to enough to tolerate Steam. Here's its Steam pricing:

US: $59.99 (~£36, ~€44)
UK: £39.99 (~$66, ~€48)
EU: €39.99 (~$55, ~£33)

My current plan is to buy a retail copy, which is over £10 cheaper than on Steam (and registers on Steam anyway). However *if* it was to be released here then I'd gladly pay the £10+ extra to get it here simply because it would be DRM-free here.
I don't really think they're separate issues. Without DRM it's largely meaningless, how would GOG prevent people from buying in whatever the cheapest region is and selling gifts to people that would have to pay more? So, yeah, technically they are separate issues, but some method of enforcement is required, otherwise there's no point in buying games in the more expensive regions.
Posted February 22, 2014
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ydobemos: What doubt? They've told us plainly that they're doing it.
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Darvond: I'll give GOG the benefit, but the publishers are going to be getting tossed to the lions.
edit: well not me as much (if any)as the people in europe and others that enjoy regional pricing like that.

no that's you & me. the publishers will most likely be just fine. if anything, it'll be the smaller guys like larian and devolver and paradox that suffer the fallout of this the most, with the larger ones getting less than them.
Post edited February 22, 2014 by johnnygoging
Posted February 22, 2014
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Duke22: Their opinion on regional pricing is noted, but they don't really have much say in the matter.
They have plenty to say. That's what they've been doing all along by refusing to make deals that required regional pricing.
Posted February 22, 2014
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Duke22: But it isn't GOG's fault.
And when they will abandon DRM-free policy, it won't be their fault either.
Posted February 22, 2014
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pcpotato459: Doesn't matter how some company tries to charge someone is going to complain.

Someone will get the short stick. If Dollar = Pound = Euro is used like Steam does; the Pound , Euro , Australian dollar users complain their money is worth more than the dollar and they are playing more than those using Dollars. The Australians always complain despite the fact they make twice as much as the average US citizen.

When you go with everyone pays in dollars, then you have the people whose currency is worth more than the dollar getting a price break while those whose currency is worth much less and live in a society with a lower standard of living pay a lot more percentage wise .

That's the problem with living in a world with multiple currencies and different standards of living.
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bombardier: Then publishers should stop pretending they have a solution. They should go and negotiate with every retailer how much money they want for each instance of sold product and then it is up to retailers how they will sell the product. They should stop interfering with the market. If someone want to sell their products at the loss just to attract more costumers he should be allowed.

Why would we even need more than one retailer if prices are dictated by publishers? If games will cost the same on gog and steam, why would anyone choose gog over steam that is more convenient?
Because Gog may seems more convenient for people like me? : )
Posted February 22, 2014
high rated
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Duke22: I can understand the frustration, but this is the important thing to read and remember here:

"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."

GOG is basically in the same position that a company like Netflix is in, they are a retailer and they have to get permission from the game studios to sell games. As such, they have to make some compromises to get certain games on here. Their opinion on regional pricing is noted, but they don't really have much say in the matter. If you have a problem with regional pricing, write to the publishers/developers and let them know what you think. Boycott them if you are so inclined. But it isn't GOG's fault.
You're the second person I noticed suggesting this.

There are two aspects to consider.
- According to TET’s post here, GOG already made a decision and has at least an outline of how to go about abandoning its world-wide flat pricing because it proved to be the "main blocking issue", so they do disserve the criticism and concerns/ complaints should also be directed at them.
- As for the devs and pubs, we’d love to, but here’s the catch – it’s all under some NDA, so we don’t actually know who to contact about it.
Posted February 22, 2014
...and this happened.
Attachments:
regional.jpg (21 Kb)
Posted February 22, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: GOG had mentioned in one of their videos the percentage that certain countries/ regions (US, Europe and Australia) represent of their total customer base, but I can’t find it; I also can’t for the life of me remember the exact numbers, but I vaguely remember Europe + Australia not being that much behind the US (if someone knows what video I’m referring to, please post a link). So, I hope that you’re wrong about the first part of this, as that would mean that Europe and Australia have become (always were?) irrelevant to GOG’s business or/ and its amount of success.
If you look at the nationalities on the board, it would be surprising if the European and Australian members weren't a substantial chunk of their market. Yes, it's hard to deduce the number of sales from that, but I'd be shocked if they weren't at least in the ballpark
Posted February 22, 2014
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johnnygoging: The most derogatory comments have come from those taking issue with those who were made upset by this.
Nice observation ....wait ...did you read the whole thread ? If so please register yourself to the nearest psychiatric institute, you crazy goglodyte !
Posted February 22, 2014
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Novotnus: ...and this happened.
I'll need to vote for that. As an American, it's unlikely to hit me directly, but I still dislike the practice. If it meant lower prices for people in regions with lower incomes I'd feel differently, but I doubt very much that they'll do that.
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Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)