If this was / is the case, GOG could simply contact those who have submitted that either wait times would be extended... or that they may want to resubmit in a few months (just in case of a submission being "lost in the shuffle"). But IMO a blanket rejection due to a clogged review system is...

... ABSOLUTE INSANITY. Blanket rejections? Devs claiming uncertainty in why they were rejected? Re-submitting multiple times? Many months for replies?

I really do value what GOG puts forth (catalogue) -- and have had good interactions with them -- but everytime I hear more about their business practices, GOG feels more-and-more misguided and unprofessional. I sincerely hope these stories are second hand and not how GOG actually works internally. If they are -- from the outside -- I fear GOG is sabotaging its own success.

Aside...

... I do have the distinct feeling through the years that GOG is so single-mindedly chasing a CDPR exclusives strategy (which they haven't gotten to work yet) as their key to success, that they've forgotten the road to success is paved one stone at a time. IMHO creating a fast and efficient submission / review environment for devs (especially indie devs) is one of the first and most necessary stones in the road to success.

Certainly hope the situation internally at GOG isn't what it looks like from the outside (this may very well be the case). If it is, they really need some training in building a successful customer-oriented business.

C'mon GOG, pulling for ya!

Lucy Dreaming, an oldschool point & click adventure scheduled to be released on 18th October, was turned down.

https://twitter.com/tallstorygames/status/1573585297668988929

The developers ask nicely to add your vote to the community wishlist to show GOG that there's a demand for this game:

https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/lucy_dreaming

I have only briefly looked at a handful of titles on this list and that is already enough to piss me off considering the porno-games they are peddling now. What the actual fuck?

Well, we got that one some time ago, so off the list it goes :)

But you can add BadAss Babes. The dev said he applied, but got rejected.

The Wardrobe, according to https://www.gog.com/forum/general/the_wardrobe_cinic_games_available_on_gog/post4

Wow, this list is frustrating to say the least. Lots of games I'd love to play on Gog...

Isles Of Sea And Sky, which just released the 22nd of May on Steam, was rejected by GOG.

Someone asked on the game's Steam forum: "GOG or Itcho Release? Is there an any hope that the full game could come on GOG or Itcho some day? I would love to buy it in one off these stores."

Gojirra (Developer): "Yes definitely coming to Itch, ideally within a few weeks! I was definitely interested in putting the game up on GOG, but the curators of the site rejected the game. Their reasoning was "We are currently looking for games with good story telling and/or interesting and unique mechanics." which made me think they did not even play it."

Source

"A fantastic, oceanic, open world puzzle adventure. Solve innovative block puzzles while unearthing a mystifying story, gaining new friends that change the puzzle landscape, and unlocking powers that provide more options for how you choose to progress through the enigmatic Isles of Sea and Sky."

>Trailer
>Steam Page
>GOG Wishlist

Another disappointing rejection of a game that seems interesting. Probably not enough nudity for the curators.

It's a shame that this style of game in particular should be dismissed, a newly developed game that in style is clearly inspired by classic titles seems like the perfect compromise for GoGs apparent premise and guiding principles.

Still might get a release eventually, wouldn't be the first title GoG turned down the first or second time around and then, at a later point, add to the catalogue after all.

The corresponding wishlist entry accumulating as many votes as possible helps too.

Is there any sort of person who would buy a game from GoG, but not from an alternative DRM distributor? Why would someone wait for the possibility of it never being released, when I could purchase it in the present?

At a quick cursory glance they do exist, quite a few of them, actually.

There's this novel concept (that's actually as old as mankind) you may have heard of before, called patience.
Also: store-loyalty and a massive backlog of games to play in the meantime.

Trust, maybe? Not wanting to fragment their library over yet more platforms? Take your pick. It's the same reasoning for anyone wanting to buy anything anywhere, really.

How did you determine that? Just the people you know from the forums?

Wow, you're right, I must have overlooked that classic human tendancy of patience, the species known for its overwhelming greed and ease to which they are manipulated into impulsively seizing or purchasing things that they covet. Also, I'm not patient enough to wait for a promise that has been demonstrated may never be fulfilled when there is a reasonable available alternative. I'm not a being whose lifespan is infinite, I have to make a decision at some juncture rather than waiting idle with inaction forever.
With old games it's one matter, but buying a newly released title from a small developer is another. Purchasing this title within the development span of a potential future project, say within ~5 years, has the direct effect of partially funding future works. Sitting here picking my nose for 10 years, or indefinitely, for GoG to play catch up is hardly useful. I can still make a positive action in the present with the future in mind.
Proposing the same slight against yourself it would be simple and unreasonable enough. I'm sure that peoples patience caused them to impulsively and wastefully acrue a festering backlog of games, that they certainly have every intention of completing, whenever more is continually thrown onto the pile. That sort of expendable income set aside for such matters could likely have been better spent on something novel and promising in the present that will only be tedious and banal when I disintegrate with age and my tastes change.

But I am patient enough to decline the urge of avarice and go without, if that's your condescension. You do me a disservice by assuming I'm so impulsive...

Perhaps, but I'm not brand loyal. If a product stops being good, or a company is no longer fit to buy from, then I have no qualms on moving on. But if people are seeking simply DRM free games, and have their own personal library of backups, who cares for the source? Who am I to be so haughty as to decline them my patronage, if they are sufficiently reputable?