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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 23, 2014
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DAlancole: The policy hasn't come into effect yet and, thus, we haven't even seen how it will be executed. Granted, regional pricing has always been exploited in the worst possible way but let's just wait and see what happens.
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cyboff: It is not that much about money like about principles! And GOG clearly showed us, they can bend their MAIN principle here and there! Once they changed one policy, they can change also the other, because why not, when it brings yet another great new publisher here! And they need to grow! It is a business after all!
But it is no more that fair business I was supporting and was proud about being here!
And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end? Because the old games WILL run out, the most wanted ones may take years to come out or never at all thanks to an apparently convoluted legal system.

You know, we got no one else to blame but ourselves along with the publishers. Us, because when they pulled this kind of crap a majority of us went along with it (see Steam's active membership or the amount of people online) and the publishers for taking it further and further and further. Complaining that a store bent under pressure in order to stay in business in the long run does nothing constructive.

Also, I have to wonder just how many people here will state how regional pricing, DRM free, is oh so important while at the same time they add yet another game through Steam's client. Perhaps this will be like that one boycott scenario for one of EA's games and then, lo and behold, a huge majority of people ended up playing the very game they were boycotting.

21st century "boycott"
Posted February 23, 2014
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graemevaughey: If this turns out to be Blizzard Entertainment with Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, and Diablo I and II, they will still sell like hot-cakes, regional pricing or not.
Diablo I will be a tough one. That game uses undocumented DirectX calls which were abandoned in later versions of DirectX to display the menu. You can witness that by firing it up in Linux/ Mac/ Cygwin Wine. After you start the game, you will be greeted by a black screen. If you print out the screen from a screenshot somewhere you'll know exactly where to click in order to select a new game. Loading your game will be be a bit harder if you've made multiple savegames, because the position of that game will be a bit variable.
Diablo I has such a haunting opening song, "Tristram" that still brings tears to me eyes now and then.
I own both the disc and the OST and I will certainly not buy it again here if it has regional pricing.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by jorlin
Posted February 23, 2014
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jorlin: I managed to save the video at his link for posterity, video AND audio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6P3yOTR2Vc&t=1194
This video is lengthier, but it goes into much more detail as to why regional pricing is a bad idea.
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N3xtGeN: OMFG hearing this now, what are you trying to become GoG?
This needs to be reposted again and again.
I bet in reality the raising popularity of GOG just got to someones head. Its not like customers notice the "current standard" of 1usd=1eur. It will blow over, surely ;)

Anyways, GOG become popular by going AGAINST the "current standard", its rather weird they are now willingly shooting themselves to both kneecaps. Makes no sense to me, but then again i never studied economics at business school so i have still more or less brain left.
Posted February 23, 2014
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Johnmourby: Bravo sir, bravo.
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jorlin: Hmm, amongst the 2040 posts (Yes, I've read them all) I see only two posts which can be summarized as "Bye, bye GOG"
In general I see people that take the trouble of posting care about the yesterday GOG and want that GOG to return. The same thing can be said about a person. If a person is not dear to your heart, you simply walk away and do not try to convince her/ him to change his/ her ways, because by arguing you choose to invest energy into the matter.
Well I've also read most of the comments and I've seen far more than two giving the big goodbye. I don't see any posts that could be described as caring about the GOG of yesterday or wanting it to return. Most here seem to have given up and some even seem happy to predict the demise of GOG.

I'm surprised so many are still bitter about selling Indies and point to that as an earlier BETRAAAYAL! (I wasn't here when it started but I recall hearing the was a vote on Indies. Am I wrong?).

people are taking it as gospel that after this all games will be regionally priced, region locked, region censored and that DRM is right round the corner and seem to have already giving up hope.
Posted February 23, 2014
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This thread is exploding like hell, sorry if I haven't read all posts.

After sleeping two times about the situation, I've pretty much come to a conclusion. The first part is very trivial: more games equals better. Thats a good thing, no discussion about that.

The other part is about the fair pricing principle. I think now it isn't that much of a bad think to kill that principle for the simple reason that it's too restrictive. However whats behind the principle is what made it good, it's GOG saying that they don't intend to cheat their customers.
The question is, whether this can be accomplished without beeing that restrictive. And I think the answer is yes. The new principle should be transperancy. As I posted yesterday, the customer should be made aware of which game is regional priced and which one is fair priced. This is a neccessary site feature which should be obvious - not hidden - to the customer. And to be so bold, there's no way around it. If GOG supports regional pricing and obscures it which has the only reason to rip people off their money, I'm really sorry for the 100 games I bought here because I believed in the fairness of the platform.
The other required aspect of this is that GOG doesn't abuse the allowance of regional pricing for itself. If you can promise and advertise the promise that you don't use regional pricing unless the people responsible for the game are greddy -censoreds- it's fine with me.
If a publisher wants to put a game on this platform and demands that it should be regional priced and the customers should not know about it this should not be a platform for him.

I think the shitstorm the announcement has unleashed proves one thing: Customers had faith in GOG and demand a sign that they can keep up their good faith with this platform.

"Transparent pricing" should be the new principle.
Posted February 23, 2014
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DAlancole: And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end? Because the old games WILL run out, the most wanted ones may take years to come out or never at all thanks to an apparently convoluted legal system.
How will the old games run out exactly? In 20 years from now today games will be very old.
Even if they stop making games today, there won't be a gap without new old games for several decades.

Or perhaps you just don't know how many already old games already exist. Games just from publishers (not PD games) that were released just between the years 1987-1993 are in the thousands. THOUSANDS. Just for the Atari ST for example there were about 3500 games from major publishers over those 7 years.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by trusteft
Posted February 23, 2014
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DAlancole: And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end? Because the old games WILL run out, the most wanted ones may take years to come out or never at all thanks to an apparently convoluted legal system.
That's why I advised them to start reselling Steam keys - it is not that big deal for many of us, 21st century boycotters ;)
Posted February 23, 2014
Guys, you are all clearly missing the point here.

GOG just love us all so much they are willing to adapt new anti-sale policy which was mentioned earlier this year by some monk in a video posted by GOG.
After this change sales will drop tremendously.
It is the ultimate sacrifice by GOG so that we could all beat our huge backlogs from previous crazy sales.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by zambrey
Posted February 23, 2014
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DAlancole: And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end? Because the old games WILL run out, the most wanted ones may take years to come out or never at all thanks to an apparently convoluted legal system.
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trusteft: How will the old games run out exactly? In 20 years from now today games will be very old.
Even if they stop making games today, there won't be a gap without new old games for several decades.

Or perhaps you just don't know how many already old games already exist. Games just from publishers (not PD games) that were released just between the years 1987-1993 are in the thousands. THOUSANDS. Just for the Atari ST for example there were about 3500 games from major publishers over those 7 years.
And let's not even get into Amiga.
Posted February 23, 2014
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graemevaughey: If this turns out to be Blizzard Entertainment with Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, and Diablo I and II, they will still sell like hot-cakes, regional pricing or not.
I wont buy any blizzard product anymore, no matter the "offer".

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DAlancole: And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end?
Because the old games WILL run out
Old games will never run out because todays release is tomorrows old game.
Gog got where it is now because of (drmFree+worldwidePrice+support) aka customer love, it grew from nothing to runner-up dd supplier in the world.
Of course they will not starve, they just need to keep pounding at the infested market of todays, cleaning it little by little, meaning more "awaken" customers will join this customer love. Its only natural. But its a long term process and trying to "shorten" it like they are doing today by destroying a core advantage and allowing an infested market practice inside of the revolution will blow in their face in the end.

steam with its huge monopoly is bad for the industry.
gog and more gog-like providers is good for the industry.

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graemevaughey: Also, I have to wonder just how many people here will state how regional pricing, DRM free, is oh so important while at the same time they add yet another game through Steam's client.
I only buy from gog and not a single cent spent on infested places (aka steam and the rest).
If somehow gog will die and there will be no other gog-like provider then i'll simply quit digital gaming and this market completely.
Posted February 23, 2014
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DAlancole: And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end? Because the old games WILL run out, the most wanted ones may take years to come out or never at all thanks to an apparently convoluted legal system.
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trusteft: How will the old games run out exactly? In 20 years from now today games will be very old.
Even if they stop making games today, there won't be a gap without new old games for several decades.

Or perhaps you just don't know how many already old games already exist. Games just from publishers (not PD games) that were released just between the years 1987-1993 are in the thousands. THOUSANDS. Just for the Atari ST for example there were about 3500 games from major publishers over those 7 years.
Yeah, GOG have just scratched the surface. Granted, they have a decent chunk of the more popular ones in their catalog, but there's still plenty out there. And that's not even counting current games becoming old in the future. That's going by what are considered old games in the present.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by JohnnyDollar
Posted February 23, 2014
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kroetenschemel: "Transparent pricing" should be the new principle.
I'm supporting this idea.
Posted February 23, 2014
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jackster79:
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StormHammer: I'm sorry, but I think you are being a bit naive. A game publisher is a business, and they are in business to make money and maximize profits for their shareholders. If they know that they can make more money by taking advantage of a regional pricing model, what would be their incentive to go back to a flat pricing model in the future? There is no financial advantage in doing so, unless that regional pricing model suddenly becomes less profitable.

Additionally, by allowing one (or two) publishers access to a regional pricing model, GOG leave themselves open to compromising with all of the publishers currently offering their games on the site. They will have weakened their bargaining power by setting a precedent, and publishers who signed up to a flat pricing model in the past will very likely want to renegotiate their terms when those contracts end, to switch to the regional pricing model offered to their competitors. Who could blame them? From a business point of view, they need to gain whatever advantage they can to sell their product, and continuing to use a flat pricing model when their competitors have adopted regional pricing via the same distributor would put them at a disadvantage.
I added emphasis to what you said that points out what I was trying to say that I am hoping for.

I do not doubt about all the re-negotiations, price-changes, etc. that will be coming down the line. What I am hoping for though (as really, that is all I can do - going the pol route is worthless, and as a single individual my $$$ or lack thereof is not going to count for much) is for the flip-side to happen: the floodgates open to allow GOG to acquire a large enough catalog that they are able to re-neogiate away the regional pricing in the future. They know there is a large customer base that wants it (otherwise they would have done region-pricing from the beginning), and if they can get large enough to get enough leverage to re-institute flat-pricing by persuading publishers to go back to that model, this will be a short-term loss for a long-term gain.

It is far-fetched, and requires quite a leap of faith, yet it is all that is open to us consumers at this point. I am jaded enough that I do not expect enough people will cease buying to support a principle such that it forces the publishers to change their minds (for recent examples I only have to point to Diablo 3 and SimCity).
Posted February 23, 2014
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DAlancole: And what if those principles cause you to starve in the end? Because the old games WILL run out, the most wanted ones may take years to come out or never at all thanks to an apparently convoluted legal system.
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trusteft: How will the old games run out exactly? In 20 years from now today games will be very old.
Even if they stop making games today, there won't be a gap without new old games for several decades.

Or perhaps you just don't know how many already old games already exist. Games just from publishers (not PD games) that were released just between the years 1987-1993 are in the thousands. THOUSANDS. Just for the Atari ST for example there were about 3500 games from major publishers over those 7 years.
And just how many out of those thousands are actually good, good enough that they will sell AND good enough quality wise? Or do you want GOG to be like Steam with Greenlight where they just toss games onto the store without a second thought, doesn't matter whether they are good or not, just as long as they are there?
Posted February 23, 2014
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mobutu: I only buy from gog and not a single cent spent on infested places (aka steam and the rest).
If somehow gog will die and there will be no other gog-like provider then i'll simply quit digital gaming and this market completely.
We need more people who not only think but act likewise. Only by there being enough of you will the wallet show its power. Sadly, I do not see that happening (as stated in a previous post, I only have to point to Diablo 3 and SimCity for examples).
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Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)