I personally don't sit on Windows anymore and when I still did I never used anything like it.
Is Playnite like Lutris essentially (minus the general point, because Lutris at least makes sense to have due to different architecture of the system and somewhat different runtime flow of launching native Linux games)?

Btw, I don't know the internal structure of Playnite but looking at what people write about it I am under an impression that it handles DB itself without reliance on some already existing DB system.
Is this correct?
Because if that's so it's pretty profoundly stupid.
I understand that some people would rather create attrocity instead of making users install additional DB system dependency, but running on something like PostgreeSQL or MariaDB would make far more sense from all sorts of perspectives in the long run.

Well nobody sane would willingly pick Galaxy other what we already have.
There is plenty of things that act as a "central launch authority" on Linux, one of more popular (also very extensible) is Lutris.
Galaxy is a steaming pile of trash code-wise. It has ludicrous overhead that close to nobody using *NIX would accept.
IF it would exist "natively" on Linux then quite the only people who would use it AT ALL would be those who want GOG achievements. Basically no one more as this piece of software is attrocious and we already have far better things with the same purpose on Linux ;)

Good approach.
Personally I never understood the implied "NEED" for a "launcher for other launchers".
Pretty much since I heard what Galaxy 2 is supposed to be it was immediattely really stupid for me.
I already said this more than once, including probably somewhere in depths of this thread, but let me repeat this:
1.This only creates more overhead. This will not interact with API and CMs directly. No. It will just launch another client. What's the point then? And if coding of the "launcher of launchers" would be bad then it could potentially memory leak and crash people's computers (or worse, example being it's technically possible to burn components on BSoD screen if you get certain not-so-unusual circumstances and then don't shut off IMMEDIATELLY).
2.This will NOT allow "proxy viewing" ALL of 3rd party services' pages. I cannot see a worldline in which Valve (or anyone else really) would allow some glorified "man in the middle proxy launcher" for viewing for example account management pages like Steam Guard, password change, and few others.
Nobody sane would risk exposing that to a very questionable "PROXY launcher".
And then there's a difference between open source - which can be AUDITED - vs closed source where you NEVER know what ACTUALLY is happening. I think the aim which way GOG is going with it's software is pretty clear (closed garden for those who don't get it).
So basically people using Galaxy 2 would STILL have to manually visit launcher / website of 3rd party service EVENTUALLY, for security stuff for example. Which makes the entire concept of that software absurdly redundant, even possibly being in the way.
Close to nobody would WANT this software (G 2.0), let alone NEED it.

edit: added a word plus text in brackets in last sentence

In the case of Playnite, it is more than convenient to have all your games in one place from one interface.

I dunno, but if you are proficient in C# and you want to extend PlayNite to have all sorts of metadata, I'd suggest to write a plugin for it and publish it in the forum Alternatively, the you can also extend Playnite with your database ideas by submitting your code for direct integration into PlayNite. The main developer is more than willing to accept contributions if they are sound.

https://github.com/JosefNemec/Playnite/

Perhaps you should get in touch with him, eg Discord ( https://discord.gg/BrtABqe ). For other links and description see https://playnite.link.

PlayNite is meant to be a unified video game library manager to have all your games in one place and be very flexible on sourcing the games, the user interface and data sources (with a plugin system). Essentially most specific things PlayNite does, is implemented with extensions, so it is more or less agnostic what things it has in its library.

Lutris is a similar project, yes.

PlayNite is tied to the Windows platform and there are currently no plans to port it to Linux, although this may be a possibility if the code is lifted up to the newest .NET runtime.

You can look at it on https://playnite.link for details.

Yep, did drop some ideas on the forum, thats where I heard that there would be one database file in version 9 (as I wanted to use the free DB browser. I have no problem with SQL, C# I use a bit, mostly command line or Winforms, never got my head around the whole binding in WPF. May give it a shot though. One of the other things I was goign to have a look at was an imported for CSV data, as I already have a huge document, it should be as simple as read, parse, sql inserts, but will see when the new version arrives. I would also be extending it to cover my needs anyways, check library items exist compared to DB and vice versa is one I always run currently off a spreadsheet (VBA). Even if I use it as a tutorial on how to create that type of app its worth it.

Separation of GOG from CDPR is at odds with their business plan. One of the main objectives in their business plan for GOG is to realize at least some of the planned 'online' future of CDPR games.

Source: Page 5 in https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/wp-content/uploads-en/2016/04/strategy-en-v2.pdf says this about one of the main goals for GOG:
"Technological support for new CD PROJEKT RED development projects, including customized solutions for multiplayer gaming and other online features"
Edit: This is consistent with your 'afterthought' impression - GOGs goal here is to support CDPR - CDPR side is 'the boss'.

Source: The focus on an 'online' future can be found in https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/wp-content/uploads-en/2021/03/cd-projekt-group-strategy-update-1.pdf

Is it bad that what you wrote combined with my knowldege of recent (as in last few years) developments makes me smell some sort of "Cyberpunk Gwent" in the works?
*Sigh*...

It is why they created galaxy in the first place. An online only marketplace with microtransactions and loot boxes. Gwent was merely a first step testing the waters, cyberpunk was built specifically and only for that, it’s not a game but a platform for those things. You tell this in the vacuous “open world”, obviously they built it for online players to fill the void, and the loot mechanism like borderlands, so trading weapons and such like. I am not suprised, everyone else is doing it.

They wanted to make a MP (and I think microtransactioned DRMed) Cyberpunk but changed their business plan to postpone that and work on some general engine stuff instead which then could be used as a foundation for that MP Cyberpunk and other games. Whether that 'postponed' is an euphemism for 'scrapped' I dont know. Also part of their new business plan is to tell investors less and later. Basically now we dont know what they intend to do. My impression is that they may not even know themselves and are still dealing with the CP2077 aftermath.
See also this investor call https://www.cdprojekt.com/en/wp-content/uploads-en/2021/03/trascript-strategy-update.pdf - they didnt seem to give proper answers to the many questions. The whole thing was (my interpretation of the share price at the time - IIRC it was around mar-30) not received well by investors.

Also while I did write above that GOG being an outlet for CDPR games is part of the business plan: I do believe there is also the following alternative possibility: In cases such as this (one part of the company very profitable, the other not) investors often want a separation of those company parts. My impression is however that the CDP management does not want that - it would increase the danger of hostile takeover etc. So in order to counter such a thing they will want to make the impression of an important connection between those company parts. This wouldnt necessarily mean that its just lip service though although I dont want to exclude that possibility either. The most convincing way to do that is to actually create such a connection.

And about the odds of GOG becoming separate from CDPR: Due to the bad share price development ( https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/7CD.F?p=7CD.F )there may be odds for someone big investing in CDP. If they get a major shareholder in the free float - they may have to revisit their whole business including the decision to not separate GOG from CDPR.

The speculation around CDPR possibly selling GOG is interesting. It seems to me that if the heads running CDPR don't really believe in the value of DRM-free themselves, then it might be better for GOG if they were to sell to someone who does. But then, who would be the potential buyers?

I don't really think CDPR selling GOG is very likely though. For the simple reason that, even if GOG is not a hugely profitable store, it saves CDPR having to pay a 30% cut to another store, if people buy CDPR games here. So, it is probably worth them keeping it around, just for that reason.

Ziggurat Interactive would make the best fit overtaking GOG. They also have begun re-publishing old games, what GOG now really does not do anymore.

Another candidate would be IGN in the umbrella of Humble Bundle. A fusion of Humble Bundle and GOG would be potentially a reignition off the former glory of HB. The only downside is that they would have to re-evaluate their DRM strategy after the acquisition of GOG.

itch.io and GOG also would make a good fit (but they really should work on their confusing launcher and website). itch.io would profit from the current catalogue and keeping the money in their store instead of being a springboard for Steam and other platforms.

ShinyLoot also would have been a great candidate, if they would still exist, they had a very similar philosophy to the original GOG.

Some good ideas there. I don’t think itch is a good fit though, they are swamped by trash, don’t even bother looking there, and the last thing needed is another spyware client.

What about THQNordic?

TBH, anyone who actually fixes all the issues with the website, downloads etc. would be good at this point even if they insist on keeping the awful client and client ecosystem going.

Yes, some good suggestions. I was actually thinking about THQ Nordic. Maybe even Larian? Those are two fairly big and growing publishers that seem to be stalwart believers in DRM-free.

HANS, GET ZE FLAMMENWERFER!

Mack wants the what?!