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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 21, 2014
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vulchor: You don't compromise on your core ideals and principles. That is called integrity.
I just would like to say that, if you're compromising them, at least make it funny,.
Posted February 21, 2014
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hedwards: That's absolutely ridiculous. The reason why I used to respect GOG was that they took a principled stance on things.
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Vestin: Anyone can have "a principled stance", but not everyone can get stuff done.
Obviously, it's OK if it gets things done,obviously the ends justify the means, right? Nothing at all wrong with that, now is there.
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hedwards: Also, your example isn't even remotely analogous to the situation here. For years, they used region-free pricing as a corner stone of their values.
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Vestin: It IS remotely analogous. Just because they no longer claim to ALWAYS stick to a single global price, it doesn't mean that EVERYTHING will be subject to regionalization. It's likely that some things will, some won't. We'll have to wait and see. Actions speak louder than words here - we might end up better off, we might not.
They've taken away the main negotiating tactic they had. Now that they allow some of the games to be here with regional pricing it's now on the table for negotiation.

What you fail to recognize is that while if A then B and if B then C and if C then D isn't a valid argument structure, we're already on C, so it's really a question of whether C is going to lead to D. And having tossed out one of their more powerful negotiating tactics, I don't see anything in particular stopping them from introducing some games here that have DRM, I mean getting games here does justify the means, doesn't it?
Posted February 21, 2014
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GOG.com: 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).
Hmmmm, I'm definitely going for The Witcher 3 here and maybe Divinity: Original Sin. As for the strategy game, I'm totally clueless on that one.

Also, GoG, thanks for all the good, DRM free gaming. Just please keep in mind that the reason so many gamers have come to your web portal is because of how fair you've treated us. We would like to treat you fair as well and ask to please try your best to keep pricing fair across all international markets, just not those that are convenient for you. Much appreciated.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Darvond: I don't believe in freedom from taxes, I believe in redirection of taxes. In that NASCAR and the NFL should be taxed. One of them is spending more money than NASA has a budget, and the other is a grand marathon of waste.
The idea of Tax Freedom Day is that it's the day where all your income equals all the taxes you have to pay. From that day you work for yourself.
And don't get me started on sport events... I don't want to think how much Euro 2012 has costed us (and now those stadiums rot and drain more money).
Posted February 21, 2014
There's really nothing wrong with the concept of regional prices "per se". A single worldwide price in dollars as GOG has been doing until now isn't exactly fair either, as there's a huge disparity of salaries, taxes, and cost of life across the globe: it penalizes those who live in poor countries and/or have a weaker currency than dollars and benefits only those who are at the same level or richer than the US.

The problem is that most publishers use regional prices to increase their revenue by boning their customers rather than adapting the prices to the cost of life of the respective countries. If GOG can somehow strike a deal to keep the prices more fair, than I'm all for it. I'm fine with paying that extra 20% VAT, but definitely NOT the 35-40% increase I've seen on other stores.
If that's not possible, then yes, that would be one less reason to keep using GOG for me.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Elenarie: I love it how you say that you had to pick between EITHER "DRM-Free" or regional pricing. This is a brilliant gem, because we all know that DRM is tied to having non-regional pricing, right, right?
The phrasing may have been a little bit inelegant. It was that we could either sign these games and bring them DRM-free (I don't see any other digital distributor who's our size trying to sign AAA content DRM-free, do you?), or else stay with flat regional pricing and then not have the games.

GOG.com will remain DRM-Free, certainly. The games that we're bringing you guys? If they're not DRM-free here, I don't see them being DRM-Free anywhere.
Posted February 21, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: Honest question - wouldn't that also apply to US users regarding Sales Taxes?
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TheEnigmaticT: Sales taxes aren't levied on online transactions across state (or international) borders.

At least, for the moment. That may change in 2015 or 2016.
That's not true. It's just that the US government isn't holding a gun to your head to collect or report the sales. The use tax on these purchases is still due, it's just that for many people there's no sane way of even paying the taxes due if the businesses aren't collecting and remitting them.
Posted February 21, 2014
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BadDecissions: I gave my opinion of this (don't like it). I will know say that I think it was an absolutely horrible idea to announce it this way. "Hey guys, we've decided to ditch one of our major principles! But it's OK, because in return, we'll be able to release some great games! ... No, I can't tell you which ones. But they're totally worth it, trust me."

I can respect that you wanted to prepare the community, but all you did was dump a bunch of bad news on your community (in a thread whose title certainly didn't lead them to expect that) and then scurry off without actually giving any concrete good news to balance it out.
Dunno. I think I prefer this to just shoving it in our faces like with the Omerta DLC.
Posted February 21, 2014
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IAmSinistar: As someone in the States I'm interested in how regional pricing will affect gifting. Will I have to restructure my giveaways in order to buy the right region version for the winner? And how the heck will gifting keys work, will they be tied to regions as well?
To my knowledge, there's no plans currently underweigh to change how gifting works.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Novotnus: I'm already taxed to un-death :)
Tax Freedom Day 2013, US: Apr 18
Tax Freedom Day 2013, Poland: Jun 22
:)
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Darvond: I don't believe in freedom from taxes, I believe in redirection of taxes. In that NASCAR and the NFL should be taxed. One of them is spending more money than NASA has a budget, and the other is a grand marathon of waste.
They're both grand marathons of waste if you ask me, but yeah it makes me sick that we have laws signed by congress to grant them NON-PROFIT status for tax purposes when they make enormous profit. Then, to build new stadiums, tax-payers have to pitch in too. Disgusting.
Posted February 21, 2014
Since the whole internet already knows which two RPGs are incoming...
Can we have an announcement vid for them made by platige/baginski? Please? Pretty please? Just a few secs vid, shouldn't cost too much but would add some new shine.
Posted February 21, 2014
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ne_zavarj: ( Who will buy a DRM free release of a game if it's already on Steam from the early alpha stage since months ? )
Many of us.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Looks like it's a choice between growth with bullshit attached, or a step towards stagnation. Definitely isn't fair to screw customers over who have no say on what exchange rates will be. BUT, it also isn't fair to immediately bring out the "GOG's turning and they're all going to screw us over, it's only a matter of time" bit, in my opinion.
Without some kind of growth, the catalog will end up looking like an incestuous circlejerk, with everyone saying, "Baldur's Gate 1/Sacrifice/Descent/every other game from way back when sure kicks ass, doesn't it? Do you have it, I got it during some insanely priced sale or another, uh oh looks like it's another weekend promo I'm not interested in since I bought everything I wanted at 70 to 90 percent off already".
Cutting both ways today, to be sure. I don't think the people at GOG want to be unfair, but they have to do something to keep things fresh, and on this one they're compromising. My suggestion to anyone unhappy with the situation would be to not buy it. Or have someone in a more favorable area buy it for you. Or wait for a sale. Again, it's not anywhere near fair, but if a shit process can be derailed by poor numbers, maybe it'll go away next time. Maybe it should be put up here, just for the possibility that a daft number-cruncher can get it through their head that if they'd gone a better route, their game would be selling more.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by CarrionCrow
Posted February 21, 2014
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TheEnigmaticT: We decided it was a terrible idea, but we wanted to gauge the community interest about it in general. The community actually didn't seem to mind it, which is interesting, but we decided in the end it's not right for us.
What made you think going back on your word was a good one?

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MIK0: I really don't like this.
One of the main feature of GOG is that you have the same price for everyone. Changing that is like hinting that even drm free is in discussion of change if it became convenient. Not having regional prices is a reason why people buy on GOG, changing that and people might as well buy on other stores because there's no more difference.

You clearly have a choice: don't sell games that require regional prices. You do the same for games that have drm and it worked well. Are you going to say that you could someday be open to drm while you based all your wealth and luck on the pride of not having to use them? Publicity when saying that you can do that even if others don't? Without even talking about the trust that you earned (and earned again after the pr stunt) from the community?

You say that regional pricing is becaming a standard around the globe. Wasn't drm the same? Weren't you able to succeed without being another clone of an existent store?

Also. You said that you'll do a similar thing you did with The Witcher 2. Apart from the fact that people bought the game here showing the goodwill of supporting you, and that that was a one case where you where not prepared in time to avoid the regional pricing (due to retail version), you also gave coupon to the user for the difference they paid. Are you going to do that even in this case?
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HGiles: The announcement says that they're offering free games for people who preorder the regionally priced games. TL;DR less.
You are right. What I mean was: are they willing to do that always and for the amount the user paid more? The annoucement is not specific about that. It only says that they'll give coupon and than that it will be limited in time.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Dreadz: I don't see how having a single, worldwide price is somehow unfair to anyone.
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amok: because there is no single worldwide income level.
There's not single country-wide income level either. Or province-wide, county-wide, city-wide, street-wide, etc. But a commodity needs to have a set value.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)