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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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Ichwillnichtmehr: We had a lot of new games(No AAA titles, I admit) here on GOG.com, both DRM-free and with a flat price, and their number seemed to increase, so I don't think the situation is that desperate.
Yes, because it is much easier to arrange a worldwide price for digital-only releases. It gets a lot more complicated once you bring physical retail into play as publishers will have agreements with various local distributors/retailers for pricing that they are not allowed to undercut. So for those there's either regional pricing, or to have the worldwide price be the most expensive anywhere in the world.
Posted February 23, 2014
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groze: I think we should just agree to disagree and stop going after each other. You're more than welcome to keep brandishing your -- valid, in my opinion -- arguments, as long as I'm free to express mine as much as I feel like.

Because, you know what?, being able to speak your mind is one of my core values.
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Selderij: When have I ever limited your freedom of expression? Is questioning your logic and pointing out possible errors truly an attack on your ability to speak your mind on a discussion forum? Do you think that your opinion is so sacred that nobody may comment on it unless it's all positive? What about all the times you've been dismissing people's concerns as reactionary bellyaching? Is this sentence a malicious attempt to prevent you from writing anything?
Not at all, to all your questions. I just think this has the possibility to end in offense and to be honest I'd like to avoid that.
Posted February 23, 2014
As long as you stick with what you did here: http://www.gog.com/news/gog_updates_privacy_policy_will_no_longer_use_geo_ip_to_determine_your_region in regards to region.
Posted February 23, 2014
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Lurchibald: As long as you stick with what you did here: http://www.gog.com/news/gog_updates_privacy_policy_will_no_longer_use_geo_ip_to_determine_your_region in regards to region.
They got sued and lost when they tried to do that.
Posted February 23, 2014
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adamhm: snip

If a publisher makes an agreement with a local distributor to sell a game for $X and then they go and sell it online for less than that, that local distributor will get pissed off and refuse to deal with that publisher in future (and the publisher may even end up facing a lawsuit for breaching the terms of their agreement with the distributor). It was also said how digital distribution would make things so much cheaper because of reduced distribution costs, no packaging costs etc. That hasn't happened yet as they still have to stick to the agreed retail pricing...

That said, a lot of publishers *do* like to use regional pricing as an excuse to price gouge certain regions (especially Australia). Can't really do much about that though other than complain and refuse to buy such games.
I wonder why the local distributors feel that they're in direct competition with the digital ones.
Retail editions contain physical items which surely can't be compared to bits & bytes - no matter how rich GOG's extras are in some cases, they're still bits & bytes and it's far from easy to turn them into HQ physical items.
I was also under the impression - and please correct me if I'm wrong - that retail editions and digital ones have mostly different audiences, at least that's what my personal experience tells me from discussions with friends.

Please correct me where necessary - I stopped buying retail editions of games a very long time ago, so I'm out of touch with that part of the market.
Posted February 23, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: I stopped buying retail editions of games a very long time ago, so I'm out of touch with that part of the market.
And this is why retailers and physical distributors don't want digital prices undercutting them - especially in AU and NZ ;)
Post edited February 23, 2014 by crazy_dave
Posted February 23, 2014
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groze: Absolutely agreed, that's what I was trying to say. It can, in very rare occasions, be used as a logic argument, but it's pretty much a fallacy every other time. The way it has been used in this thread, so far, has always been the fallacious version of it.
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crazy_dave: Actually I've seen some logical slippery slope arguments in this thread - I disagree with them, but there is a strong connection between DRM and regional pricing, mostly in the necessity to enforce regional pricing (which is what I am assuming you are referring to).

Further, the slippery slope has already come to pass in many people's minds as GOG giving up one of its core principles (and flat-pricing was a core principle) to get more newer games was what some people warned against when GOG started selling newer games. Now to some this isn't a bad thing, but to others this is the culmination of everything they worried about.
And I can understand that. I may not buy into it necessarily, but I understand it. I would be lying if I said that I think this slippery slope stuff is ridiculous and will never happen. I try not to deal in absolutes either.
Posted February 23, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: I wonder why the local distributors feel that they're in direct competition with the digital ones.
Retail editions contain physical items which surely can't be compared to bits & bytes - no matter how rich GOG's extras are in some cases, they're still bits & bytes and it's far from easy to turn them into HQ physical items.
I was also under the impression - and please correct me if I'm wrong - that retail editions and digital ones have mostly different audiences, at least that's what my personal experience tells me from discussions with friends.

Please correct me where necessary - I stopped buying retail editions of games a very long time ago, so I'm out of touch with that part of the market.
Well these days retail boxes are little more than a DVD box containing a Steam key, an "install disc" that contains some of the game data (rest downloaded through Steam) and a leaflet with some advertisements and a note along the lines of "manual on disc".

Once the key has been activated on Steam the box and its contents are effectively worthless.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by adamhm
Posted February 23, 2014
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adamhm: snip

If a publisher makes an agreement with a local distributor to sell a game for $X and then they go and sell it online for less than that, that local distributor will get pissed off and refuse to deal with that publisher in future (and the publisher may even end up facing a lawsuit for breaching the terms of their agreement with the distributor). It was also said how digital distribution would make things so much cheaper because of reduced distribution costs, no packaging costs etc. That hasn't happened yet as they still have to stick to the agreed retail pricing...

That said, a lot of publishers *do* like to use regional pricing as an excuse to price gouge certain regions (especially Australia). Can't really do much about that though other than complain and refuse to buy such games.
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HypersomniacLive: I wonder why the local distributors feel that they're in direct competition with the digital ones.
Retail editions contain physical items which surely can't be compared to bits & bytes - no matter how rich GOG's extras are in some cases, they're still bits & bytes and it's far from easy to turn them into HQ physical items.
I was also under the impression - and please correct me if I'm wrong - that retail editions and digital ones have mostly different audiences, at least that's what my personal experience tells me from discussions with friends.

Please correct me where necessary - I stopped buying retail editions of games a very long time ago, so I'm out of touch with that part of the market.
Im stumped as well. I stopped buying retail when i found buying digital was cheaper (and helluva lot more choices with titles especially the older classics here on GOG which retail pretty much does NOT sell anymore except for the odd Budget labelled classics)
Posted February 23, 2014
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Lurchibald: As long as you stick with what you did here: http://www.gog.com/news/gog_updates_privacy_policy_will_no_longer_use_geo_ip_to_determine_your_region in regards to region.
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crazy_dave: They got sued and lost when they tried to do that.
Well... that sucks.
Posted February 23, 2014
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Selderij: When have I ever limited your freedom of expression? Is questioning your logic and pointing out possible errors truly an attack on your ability to speak your mind on a discussion forum? Do you think that your opinion is so sacred that nobody may comment on it unless it's all positive? What about all the times you've been dismissing people's concerns as reactionary bellyaching? Is this sentence a malicious attempt to prevent you from writing anything?
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groze: Not at all, to all your questions. I just think this has the possibility to end in offense and to be honest I'd like to avoid that.
How could you possibly get offended by my input to the slippery slope discussion? To recap, here's what I wrote:

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Selderij: Slippery slope as a fallacy requires the end result to be logically and factually far-fetched. GOG abandoning a core value for X amount of projected money is now a reality that is actually happening. What's far-fetched about GOG doing it again, just for a little bit and surely for a good reason?

Like I said before, it's a fallacy in itself to assume any speculation to be a slippery slope fallacy.

I do agree that instead of worrying about a hypothetical future, more people should take the current change of policy just as seriously as any future implications it potentially has.
What could possibly be inflammatory in that? To me, it looks more and more like it's you who wants to limit discussion on this forum all the while accusing others of exactly that.
Posted February 23, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: I stopped buying retail editions of games a very long time ago, so I'm out of touch with that part of the market.
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crazy_dave: And this is why retailers and physical distributors don't want digital prices undercutting them - especially in AU and NZ ;)
But consumer should have a choice.... and not unfairly keep prices on digital inflated just to prop up the retail stores :/
Posted February 23, 2014
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crazy_dave: Actually I've seen some logical slippery slope arguments in this thread - I disagree with them, but there is a strong connection between DRM and regional pricing, mostly in the necessity to enforce regional pricing (which is what I am assuming you are referring to).

Further, the slippery slope has already come to pass in many people's minds as GOG giving up one of its core principles (and flat-pricing was a core principle) to get more newer games was what some people warned against when GOG started selling newer games. Now to some this isn't a bad thing, but to others this is the culmination of everything they worried about.
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JohnnyDollar: And I can understand that. I may not buy into it necessarily, but I understand it. I would be lying if I said that I think this slippery slope stuff is ridiculous and will never happen. I try not to deal in absolutes either.
As I stated in a later post, I should've been more exact with my words, some of the arguments as to why this could lead to DRM are not slippery slope, but predictive - i.e. they may be wrong, but they are not fallacious.

I don't think GOG will ever give up DRM-free. But they clearly believe regional pricing is a fight they can't win (probably losing the TW2 battle with Namco Bandai affected that). That doesn't stop a lot of people, especially those who are going to be most affected by it, from being pissed that one of GOG's founding principles is no more.
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crazy_dave: They got sued and lost when they tried to do that.
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Lurchibald: Well... that sucks.
Yup, it's probably why they caved on no regional pricing, distributors often force it on AAA digital distribution, CDPR & GOG learned the hard way it is more difficult to get out of than they had hoped and thus are willing to give it up.
Post edited February 23, 2014 by crazy_dave
Posted February 23, 2014
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Niggles: Im stumped as well. I stopped buying retail when i found buying digital was cheaper (and helluva lot more choices with titles especially the older classics here on GOG which retail pretty much does NOT sell anymore except for the odd Budget labelled classics)
I guess it depends on where you live, but here the retail prices are much lower, usually to the tune of around £10. Given the choice of buying a game digitally for £35 or ordering the retail box from somewhere like Amazon for £25 (or in the case of the upcoming South Park game, £40 on Steam vs £28 retail), buying a retail copy just makes a lot more sense.

I rarely ever see PC games in any actual retail stores though (and the prices are typically higher in-store than they are online).
Post edited February 23, 2014 by adamhm
Posted February 23, 2014
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crazy_dave: And this is why retailers and physical distributors don't want digital prices undercutting them - especially in AU and NZ ;)
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Niggles: But consumer should have a choice.... and not unfairly keep prices on digital inflated just to prop up the retail stores :/
Didn't say it was right, but it is legal to include in negotiations ... sorry :(
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)