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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 24, 2014
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amok: direct from developers, like Humble Widgets or BTMicro

Small stores like Shiny Loot and Indie Game Stand. Indie game stores like Indievania.
Do any of those have to eat the transactional fees themselves? For example, when selling through a widget to different countries? Not being a retailer I don't really know that end of the business. I'm more curious as to whether flat pricing is viable once a retailer reaches a certain size.

The only largish retailer I could think of who may be doing this is bookdepository.com, but even they still list prices in local currency. I believe their prices are otherwise equivalent around the globe, but I could be wrong about that as well.
Posted February 24, 2014
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tfishell: Pretty sure "Amerifag" and "Eurofag" are just internet slang. Not tasteful, but certainly not the same as saying, "I'm scared of homosexuals."

Also, wasn't rrr8891 being sarcastic? Or were there other posts by him I missed?
Actually neither - IIRC, he made some sort of bet a long time ago to keep his rep below 20 at all costs, so he occasionally shows up and posts obscene comments to get people to downvote him.
Posted February 24, 2014
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spindown: He's just a very poor troll seeking attention.
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tfishell: Pretty sure "Amerifag" and "Eurofag" are just internet slang. Not tasteful, but certainly not the same as saying, "I'm scared of homosexuals."

Also, wasn't rrr8891 being sarcastic? Or were there other posts by him I missed?
Not in this thread, but he has a history of posting words like "fag" and "nigger" for no reason other than to provoke.
Posted February 24, 2014
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IAmSinistar: Do any of those have to eat the transactional fees themselves? For example, when selling through a widget to different countries? Not being a retailer I don't really know that end of the business. I'm more curious as to whether flat pricing is viable once a retailer reaches a certain size.

The only largish retailer I could think of who may be doing this is bookdepository.com, but even they still list prices in local currency. I believe their prices are otherwise equivalent around the globe, but I could be wrong about that as well.
BtiMicro actually charges you in your local currency and adds VAT if applicable.
Posted February 24, 2014
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adamhm: ... This presents an issue when it comes to digital sales, with the only solutions being either a single price worldwide - but the most expensive anywhere in the world - or regional pricing. Almost nobody would buy digitally if they had to pay the most expesive prices in the world, so we get regional pricing.
People buy digitally high prices of games in EU and Australia. But you say that if these high prices would be worldwide in effect (they cannot be even higher because these prices are already the highest) then almost nobody not even EU or Austrialians would buy?? Don't really understand that point.

I guess we get regional pricing mostly to maximize the profit and partly also to reduce competition with retailers but not that much.

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adamhm: ... Worldwide pricing is easy for older games and indie developers that self-publish digitally, but when it comes to brand new big name releases it's currently next to impossible. ...
This is a very good short summary of GOGs opinion although I'm not completely convinced that it is currently next to impossible for a brand new big name release. Maybe just nobody really tried and saw what happens if you brush off some or all retailers.

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adamhm: ...
I'd strongly advise against it. If you're not going to buy a game here due to regional pricing then you shouldn't buy it elsewhere either, as doing so would be very hypocritical and do nothing to help improve the industry:

- If you buy it from another digital store, you accept regional pricing anyway, plus DRM.
- If you buy it at retail then you don't just accept regional pricing but also strengthen the main cause for regional pricing and make it even harder to change. And again accept DRM.

As I understand it GOG has done this out of necessity to make much greater advances with their main goal - that being DRM-free releases. ...
If you continue buying this is also not a good signal to show that you don't like regional pricing, in case you don't like it. So I wonder what is the best signal. Currently I think the best signal is to wait and not buy anything in a rush. If you happen to live in a high priced region, maybe better buying everything only in a sale several months later than usual.

When I bought Witcher 2 from CDP I deliberately spent $20 more than strictly necessary because I bought it 2 years before I actually played it. Do I have to do it again like this?

And when I gifted games worldwide easily because there wasn't any region lock I did so happily. But I don't need to continue with this.

I wish GOG would have communicated the issue as clearly as you. Basically they had goals and greater goals. And maximizing the number of DRM free games trumps worldwide equal pricing. Only their former video sounds so ironically in the light of the current events. They have hired the evil guy again.

In the end I think it will depend on the games. Maybe they are worth it. GOG still has this ace up the sleeves.
Post edited February 24, 2014 by Trilarion
Posted February 24, 2014
Sorry my 1 thought.
Regional pricing sucks -> or regional pricing = how to rip off more money from european gamers.
Honestly , it's not about VAT's cause regional pricing in germany means useall price in $ = price in €. So we always spend more money than other gamers around the world.

You know what makes me most unhappy. One off the games which will include it is backed by me. I wish i haden't done this and i will try as a backer to make this game not stand for this move off gog.
Posted February 24, 2014
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Chacranajxy: The well of old games isn't going to last forever. And while the change is unfortunate for those adversely affected by the regional pricing, what's the alternative? They're still getting a DRM-free product with bonuses and a few niceties like GOG's customer service. Are they going to switch to another store that has those exact same pricing policies? Are they going to just stop playing games? Right, I'll believe it when I see it.
There are tens of thousands of PC games released so far and the list keeps increasing, so that well's a long way from drying. Besides, they originally defined "old" as at least three years old, so even new releases will go in that pool soon enough.

As for what people will do, no, they won't stop playing games, but they may well stop buying games (again).
Posted February 24, 2014
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Leroux: I think a severed phallus would be a more 'appropriate' equivalent in taste. ;)
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keeveek: I thought they were called dildos.
Not if they were formerly attached to a human being by nature. ;)
Posted February 24, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: BtiMicro actually charges you in your local currency and adds VAT if applicable.
Thanks, I assumed that somewhere along the line someone was paying the piper.

I hope we get some more hard data on the GOG implementation soon. This thread is running like the Insomnia topic, only with much less fun.
Posted February 24, 2014
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Trilarion: If you continue buying this is also not a good signal to show that you don't like regional pricing, in case you don't like it. So I wonder what is the best signal. Currently I think the best signal is to wait and not buy anything in a rush. If you happen to live in a high priced region, maybe better buying everything only in a sale several months later than usual.

When I bought Witcher 2 from CDP I deliberately spent $20 more than strictly necessary because I bought it 2 years before I actually played it. Do I have to do it again like this?

And when I gifted games worldwide easily because there wasn't any region lock I did so happily. But I don't need to continue with this.

I wish GOG would have communicated the issue as clearly as you. Basically they had goals and greater goals. And maximizing the number of DRM free games trumps worldwide equal pricing. Only their former video sounds so ironically in the light of the current events. They have hired the evil guy again.

In the end I think it will depend on the games. Maybe they are worth it. GOG still has this ace up the sleeves.
The best way to show your displeasure with this is to do exactly what you guys have been doing. Voting with your wallet because you don't like regional pricing is meaningless. That just leads to the assumption that you aren't interested in the game, period, and then they won't put anything on GOG in the future. If you vocalize that this is the problem, you're at least making the company and GOG aware of your concerns. Some of the posts have been a bit too vitriolic, but if you're going to get the point across, this is really the only avenue.
Posted February 24, 2014
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Leroux: Not if they were formerly attached to a human being by nature. ;)
As far as I know, Dead Island's torso wasn't attached to anybody before.

and before anybody asks: Yes, I would be totally fine with them adding a zombified dildos to Dead Island packages.
Post edited February 24, 2014 by keeveek
Posted February 24, 2014
It's sad really how many people are bashing 'GoG' for this one.

I understand that worldwide fair prices is something that made 'GoG' even better for some users. I'm not really a rich man's son myself, I have just enough resources to make it through and even afford a little bit of extras sometimes.

It is sad that in some regions average wage is a lot more higher and things costs a lot less than in other regions. Common people are being robbed legally everyday on almost every step, that's a fact. There is no such thing as equality in this world, that's a fact. Even from the beginning, mother nature didn't make people equal, some are born with physical problems for example, which often steals a chance of happy life away from them, that's a fact. While other's being blessed with something else which makes them superior to other's, that's a fact. People are being oppressed all over the world, in many different way's. No one is equal, that's a fact. That's how this world goes, toughen up, because luckily for most of you it's just such a worthless thing as money in this matter. You can buy sleeping pills, but you can't buy sleep.


DRM-Free is an extra nowadays, 'GoG' is out there to make money and make DRM-Free a common practice in video-game industry and market. If it means more great DRM-Free games, regional pricing is fair enough.

You can't really put a price on those few happy moments I had playing games I bought from your web-site. From childhood memories to new amazing experiences.

For me 'GoG', you always will be the best. Thank you that you are.
Posted February 24, 2014
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yoyolll: ... This is how competition works. If GoG loses their place in this niche, someone else will take it. ...
But the million dollar question is, who will this be? Maybe this time the niche stays empty.
Posted February 24, 2014
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Chacranajxy: ... They're still getting a DRM-free product with bonuses and a few niceties like GOG's customer service. ...
But for how long?

Fair prices. Flat prices. Worldwide.

That was one of the main themes of GOG ... they even made a promotional video about that ... [url=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRdfYwvGTos[/url]


So, today they announced that in order to have more bussiness they are ready to throw away one of the "core principles of GOG". Not exactly something that would make their customers happy. And one has to wonder, if they were willing to throw away this core principle, why wouldn't they throw away the rest too? Should we start backing up our games in case they decide adding DRM would be good idea?
Posted February 24, 2014
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unknown78: You know what makes me most unhappy. One off the games which will include it is backed by me. I wish i haden't done this and i will try as a backer to make this game not stand for this move off gog.
1) If it's a Kickstarter reward, at least you got it for the same price as everyone else, so no regrets there.

2) Is it a publisher or a developer decision? If you back a project, which doesn't have a publisher, then you have directly supported the developer. If they later find a publisher who demand regional pricing, DRM or something else, you can blame developers for dealing with wrong publishers, but not for being unethical themselves. If it's their own decision, however, then it's clearly a different thing.

I know it sucks when a project you backed goes unethical. I backed RETRO magazine, and like everyone else, didn't know they were planning to offer it DRM'd, not as simple PDFs. They said it was for "obvious reasons", which sparked a lively feedback from backers...
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)