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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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TheEnigmaticT: Over the last 5 years, I believe that we have shown ourselves to be a company that is relentlessly focussed on treating our customers better than anyone else in the industry does. We think this change can be something that's good for you, because you'll find great games DRM-free on GOG.com that wouldn't be DRM-free without this. These games are going to be the same price everywhere in the world, except GOG.com will be giving something for you guys out of our pockets to help make up the difference between regional prices.

I understand that the lack of clarity for our policy is bringing confusion, and confusion brings a certain amount of fear with it. I ask that you--and the rest of the guys in the thread--think about our track record of how we treat our gamers with respect. What you're feeling is understandable, and I've found myself in the same situation before. I've found that the track record of the organization that's making promises is worth keeping in mind in circumstances like this, and I think our established history speaks for itself in that regard.
TeT, GOG has done exceptionally well by us gamers over the years. The problem is that you have been doing less and less well by us as time has gone by. You have kept making compromises that made your service just a little bit worse every time. This has been a cause for concern among some of us. The only two rock-solid principles that I was sure you would never compromise on (and that you have explicitly stated on numerous occasions you would never compromise on) was one worldwide price, and no DRM. Well, today you gave up one of those principles. It is therefore no longer unthinkable that you might also give up the other one.

The reason you have been able to treat your customers so well is that you haven't let the publishers charge whatever the hell they liked whereever the hell they liked. Now, you're saying that you're leaving pricing entirely up to the publishers. As I see it, that can have only one possible outcome: no more one-price releases, ever. When you open up the floodgates, the water will pour in, that's the way it works. And historically, the outcome of introducing regional pricing always means that the price of games in the EU take a major hike upwards.

If you can't clarify the details of your policy changes at this time, then this was the wrong time to make such an announcement. Saying "we're going to do that thing we said we would never do, and no, we can't say anymore at this time" is not good PR.
Posted February 21, 2014
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fr33kSh0w2012: It's regional Pricing here in Australia that and certain games that were banned here for no good reason that I get on E-bay and get them shipped from places like great Britain the EU singapore and the USA it's MUCH MUCH Cheaper then buying here and I can get games NOW that I can't get over here because of ANAL Censorship Laws in the Northern Territory and ACT they have R18+ and X18+ I'd love to have X18+ rated games that means witcher 2 WOULD NOT HAVE been Censored like it was! LAWL!
You realise importing a refused classification game is akin to bringing banned items into Australia right? While your recieving something in an illegal form... why not Pirate Bay.
Posted February 21, 2014
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Marcomies: It's out of your hands in your own store? Didn't know they made you take their stuff at gunpoint...
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TheEnigmaticT: We don't set pricing for any game we sell. If we find the terms too onerous, we can elect to not sell it, but that's fundamentally our only rights when it comes to the titles on GOG.com. The fact that we have an audience for the games we sell means that we get a certain amount of negotiation power, but this is a case where, for the companies where they have set up regional pricing have contracts with retail chains and other digital distributors and they're not gonna break their covenants just to make us happy. Either we provide them with regional pricing or we don't sell their game. Simple as that.
TheEnigmaticT does make some good points. GOG has been the point man in the fight for DRM free/no regional pricing and in the years they have been operating they have been fighting the good fight. I'm somewhat swayed and I'll take a wait and see attitude for the time being.

I believe this move will cost a lot of good will though and I'll definitely think hard before ordering from GOG in the future Regardless of the announcement today they remain our best hope for a DRM Free marketplace.
Posted February 21, 2014
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ydobemos: I can assure you I won't be buying any game here that has this unfair regional pricing imposed on it. In fact I doubt I'll buy any games here at all until and unless GOG reverses this deplorable decision.
if you notice any like that please either make a thread or pm me, I don't want to support the publishers that are making GOG do this.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by Rusty_Gunn
Posted February 21, 2014
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SCPM: Er, GOG, just so you know, anyone with an educated guess and Google can find out what the game(s) are. ;) Somebody needs to keep a tighter lid on that. It looks like we'll know more in about 5 days.
cough up ;)
Posted February 21, 2014
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Darvond: You might want to nuke this announcement and start over. Clearly something's gone wrong, and we aren't going to be reasonable in the current status of panic. Also, you might want to tell the publishers to lower their shields and open communications instead of being horribly silent on the matter. If they can't trust us, why the heck should we bloody trust them?
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PaladinWay: I don't disagree with you, but if publishers believe that the audience is too adversarial, they'll just write them off as people who would never buy (either go without or pirate). The thing that might be helpful is if GOG would maybe do the no regional pricing things for games over, say, a year old. That way they could potentially sign new games, and by doing so encourage developers to leave DRM out of them, and still have something that's of value to people who feel strongly about lack of regional pricing. Those people would then have a known quantity that they can accept the regional pricing or wait a year and by from GOG then without it. I'm sure that'll work out different ways with different people depending on their current gaming time and game backlog. However, the surge in GOG sales when regional pricing went away would also give those studios a solid number about how many people consider that a dealbreaker.

All entertainment markets gouge at first and lower price over time. Happens with books and movies too. I don't consider it particularly contemptible that game developers do the same. If game developers could be convinced to eliminate DRM and excessive EULAs, I'd be willing to buy things when they come out overpriced instead of waiting several years until they're $5 (my game backlog is pretty large, as in probably won't get through it before I die, so I can wait).
We're adversarial because we don't even know whodunit. Its like a murder mystery. Everyone is scared and doesn't know what's next.
Posted February 21, 2014
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TheEnigmaticT: Due to NDAs and due to the fact that we don't have contracts signed for a lot of the games that we're working on bringing to GOG, we can't go into more detail because we ourselves do not know all of the relevant details.
So nothing is set in stone. You can still not sign the contracts and we all could forget about this day.
Posted February 21, 2014
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I don't see this as a problem. Sure GOG listed as an original goal worldwide pricing, but really GOG has been about 2 things....good old games, and DRM-Free. Worldwide pricing wasn't a major pillar, just an early feature. This appears to only upset non-Americans and as an American, I really don't care as long as it means we get access to more games that are DRM-free.
Posted February 21, 2014
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HypersomniacLive: The Greater Good

Had to post it ;-P
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trusteft: Awesome and so accurate.
Because Steam will get these old games up and running for newer OS's and keep them up and running on future new OS's... oh yea that's GOG doing that work. Steam may get older games, but don't think they will offer the level of support for them that GOG does.
Posted February 21, 2014
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donsanderson: Whatever happened to simple the "Don't like it, don't buy it principle"?
You should be asking GOG that. They claimed to be against price discrimination, so they should have refused publishers any deal that entailed it.

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donsanderson: Folks, the way to approve/disapprove of a companies offerings is with your wallet.
Not by having a fricking riot!
Why not both?
Post edited February 21, 2014 by ydobemos
Posted February 21, 2014
Well, if this brings to GOG games that currently require Uplay, it's a great move. Let's see how it goes.
Posted February 21, 2014
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SCPM: Er, GOG, just so you know, anyone with an educated guess and Google can find out what the game(s) are. ;) Somebody needs to keep a tighter lid on that. It looks like we'll know more in about 5 days.
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Niggles: cough up ;)
No, NDAs. ;) And on closer inspection, I'm probably wrong.
Posted February 21, 2014
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randomengine: I don't see this as a problem. Sure GOG listed as an original goal worldwide pricing, but really GOG has been about 2 things....good old games, and DRM-Free. Worldwide pricing wasn't a major pillar, just an early feature. This appears to only upset non-Americans and as an American, I really don't care as long as it means we get access to more games that are DRM-free.
Dude. A good chunk of their customer base is from EU and Australia. Id say thats a fair portion of their business dont u think?
Posted February 21, 2014
Many of you responded to my inquire about the issue - just wanted to say thank you! I can understand why this is an issue for many of you!
Posted February 21, 2014
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Niggles: cough up ;)
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SCPM: No, NDAs. ;) And on closer inspection, I'm probably wrong.
Im not adverse to speculation ;)
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Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)