It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)
Pages:
1
5
6
7
8
9
50
100
150
200
250
270
This is my favourite topic
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
avatar
ReynardFox: My thoughts exactly.
avatar
jamyskis: The problem is that it's going to dent confidence in GOG massively. We've seen from other distributors that values and principles are like houses of cards - as soon as you chop one away as a compromise, they all come tumbling down. Take Humble Bundle, for instance, although it was the other way around with them. They abandoned strict DRM-freedom and multiplatform long before regional pricing was introduced.

It's going to have people querying whether GOG really is going to stick to its DRM-free model.

And more worryingly, it gives publishers a bargaining chip to introduce DRM. They've seen now that GOG is willing to abandon core principles, and it will likely embolden them to push the issue of DRM even further.
Pretty much. At this point, they're still DRM free, and that's about it. At this stage they've flip-flopped on basically every one of their stances. I wasn't particularly keen when EA came in and there weren't goodies at launch, but that was a relatively small deal. But, when they started to deal in new releases, that just didn't sit well with me at all. Especially since those releases are frequently inferior to releases other places.
Posted February 21, 2014
avatar
Orolo: could you at least show us whether there's regional pricing on a game (next to the price or whatever, not somewhere where you have to search for it) and what the prices in other regions are?
avatar
TheEnigmaticT: You'll see the price that you're paying on the game page with the USD equivalent under it. It should be pretty evident.
When does this happen? I ask because a real example instead of this rather vague annoucement would help a lot....
Posted February 21, 2014
If regional pricing means Morrowind's release on GoG, I'll accept it. Otherwise I'm disappointed.
Posted February 21, 2014
avatar
jamyskis: So what's next? Adding DRM because "the decision on DRM is in our partners' hands"?
avatar
TheEnigmaticT: No. DRM is not negotiable. We had to decide which was more important to us: making more games DRM-Free, or keeping flat pricing? Many games that we could add to GOG.com (DRM-free, even!) are not available to us because of the legal messes that are involved with regional pricing.

avatar
jamyskis: Also, quoting The Witcher 2 is a little disingenuous, because that was not a strategic choice, but rather a court-enforced choice between either pulling it from GOG or applying regional pricing due to a botched agreement with Namco Bandai.
avatar
TheEnigmaticT: Yeah, that's a case where regional pricing ended up being required for the game, and seeing lawsuits like that has a certain chilling effect on other souls who may be adventurous enough to try DRM-free. This is what had to happen to get more games that are legally tied up with regional pricing available DRM-free.

avatar
jamyskis: I get the feeling that the classic releases are also going to be bumped up in price in the months to come, especially where EA, Activision and Ubisoft are concerned.
avatar
TheEnigmaticT: We honestly don't know what's going to happen with our classic games (who knows what happens when lawyers get involved?) but we can say that it is in no way our intent to bump up these prices for different regions.
Thank you for clarifying. It's sad that the Witcher 2 lawsuit is still having an impact. I can see how companies would start insisting on regional pricing after that. It's a much more reasonable explanation than just stating 'publishers asked for it'. :)
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
The "it's on our partner's hands" is indeed a weak excuse and can be used as a blanket statement on anything, should GOG decide to give up on the no-DRM. At least have the decency to take responsibility for the changes on policy.

Furthermore is not quite clear what this change will affect. Will games already here still retain same price for all? Will the new region-priced games fall back to flat price after a while, as was the case for the Witcher 2? Will new releases of old games be subject of regional pricing?

Would appreciate if things were a bit clearer.
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
avatar
GOG.com: 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).
How long until you bow down to publishers even further and force regional restrictions on us? I use and recommend GOG because you DON'T do regional pricing and because you stick to your stance of one price worldwide. You've let me down GOG.
Posted February 21, 2014
Regional pricing should be very easy to bypass - change your country in your profile to the USA, buy the game and change your country back.
Post edited February 21, 2014 by JamesBond007
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
avatar
jamyskis: And more worryingly, it gives publishers a bargaining chip to introduce DRM. They've seen now that GOG is willing to abandon core principles, and it will likely embolden them to push the issue of DRM even further.
It really doesn't. The reverse is true, actually. There's many games that we've been told, "We'd love to sell it on GOG, but the regional pricing is an issue..." Now the ball's in their court, and I expect we'll see lots of good things coming from it.

If we ever add DRM to GOG.com, I'll eat my freaking hat. And video it for you all to see. ;)
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
Bad news.
Preorders and Launch Day Releases i don't care cause with every new game bugged like hell i wouldn't do that regardless of the platform.

With its same price for everyone worldwide GOG was very interesting.
Now i see dark clouds on the horizon. Germany was always a high price country so my guess is that they try to milk us more. And once started with this i am sure that *not available for your region* follows.
Ah, well lets wait and see. If it comes to that at last i have enough games to play for a very long time.
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
avatar
jamyskis: And more worryingly, it gives publishers a bargaining chip to introduce DRM. They've seen now that GOG is willing to abandon core principles, and it will likely embolden them to push the issue of DRM even further.
avatar
TheEnigmaticT: It really doesn't. The reverse is true, actually. There's many games that we've been told, "We'd love to sell it on GOG, but the regional pricing is an issue..." Now the ball's in their court, and I expect we'll see lots of good things coming from it.

If we ever add DRM to GOG.com, I'll eat my freaking hat. And video it for you all to see. ;)
Yes, but isn't the DRM free thing pretty much the only core value you guys had that you haven't gone back on? Goodies, region free pricing,compatibility, old games are all things that you guys have gone back on. At this point, I'm having a hard time coming up with any particular evidence of integrity on the site's part.
Posted February 21, 2014
Thanks for the finger up the butt GOG.
Tell you what, DRM is also around the globe now, how about you add that too?

FFS.
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
I love how the announcement desperately tries to spin regional pricing into something good. PR is such bullshit.
Attachments:
goodnews.jpg (34 Kb)
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
conversation not as fun as the insomnia sale, but certainly lively. :)
Posted February 21, 2014
avatar
AndyBuzz: The "it's on our partner's hands" is indeed a weak excuse and can be used as a blanket statement on anything, should GOG decide to give up on the no-DRM. At least have the decency to take responsibility for the changes on policy.

Furthermore is not quite clear what this change will affect. Will games already here still retain same price for all? Will the new region-priced games fall back to flat price after a while, as was the case for the Witcher 2? Will new releases of old games be subject of regional pricing?

Would appreciate if things were a bit clearer.
Presumably, that would come up whenever the contracts are up for negotiation. People here may just need to boycott games that aren't region-free. Which could be tough for those of us in America to identify.
Posted February 21, 2014
high rated
avatar
Grargar: Oh boy.
avatar
GOG.com: regional pricing is becoming the standard around the globe...
avatar
Grargar: You know what else is becoming/has become the standard? Releasing games exclusively on Steam. I hope the GOG team won't forget that.
Exactly. Are these online stores completely stupid or what? They are becoming more and more just another way to get Steam games and just driving themselves out of existence.
I do not like the way GOG is heading.
Pages:
1
5
6
7
8
9
50
100
150
200
250
270
This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionAnnouncement: Big Preorders & Launch Day Releases Coming!(4041 posts)(4041 posts)
(4041 posts)