If they really asked "How important are drm free games to you?" that is a red flag. It should be obvious that its important to users using gog. I wonder if they are considering some drm games?

GOG can't compete with Epic. No store can, because Epic Store doesn't function like a store, it's a huge money drain and Epic expects that to continue for at least the next few years, and they're fine with it because they have money to throw at it. So it's the same rule as with Steam really, just for different reasons.
GOG can't compete with either and should try. But trying to compete with Epic is the worse choice, because competing with Steam meant resources poured into a client, a loss of values and principles, probably of the staff that cared for them as well, and definitely of the userbase that did, and a loss of personality, of what made GOG, GOG, and attracting a mass of users that flit from one store to another according to sales and little else. But you can still sort of hobble along like that. Sadly, but you can. But trying to compete with a store that doesn't aim to sell, whose clients actually cost it money, because there's another source that earns them in abundance, means bankrupcy, plain and simple.

You can select "extremely important" as answer.

Just take the survey, this is one of many questions about what players expect from the store, why they buy on GOG.
OIthers are about prices / easy to find / because I emotional attached to GOG.

I can't say for sure what mechmouse is thinking about, but there are subscriptions like "Humble Choice". You do get access to some free games as long as you are subscribed, some extra discounts and other stuff, but the main draw is that you get a set of games on Steam permanently (at least, as permanently as Steam can be). You keep the games even after you unsubscribe, so I can't see anything terribly negative with such a system (it would be the equivalent of getting a bunch of highly discounted games every month, but chosen by GOG). The real issue, perhaps, is that GOG's catalogue isn't huge and doesn't grow as fast as Steam's, so it's hard to know how viable such a system is.

Also note that with Humble Choice you can first see what the games are, and then decide if you want to skip a month or not (so you side-step issues like "all the games are terrible" or "I own most of them").

Not true, gwent is drm and online only. certain games that have multiplayer require galaxy so that is drm too.

Are some of you guys crazy? Do you want to kill GOG or what? Asking to downplay the DRM-free factor when that's the selling point of GOG?! And a Workshop? Seriously?! For what? One more thing that requires heavy maintenance and resources that GOG doesn't have, that only a handful of people will use, and that will invariably have not updated versions of mods?

Ah, yes, your "end of story" spell is indeed potent, but you forgot to cast the even greater magic of "/thread".

Seriously though, yes, all games here (except for Gwent, quite a big exception one could argue, though it is in the process of slowly decomposing now) can be "installed and played offline", but the same could have been said of Hitman. There's a whole thread listing games with content and features locked behind DRM. Nothing nearly as extreme as Hitman, but saying "end of story" and pretending there isn't a problem is basically putting your fingers in your ears and going "la la la I can't hear you".

There's also something like the Cyberpunk Interactive Map which is I guess some people like to pretend doesn't count since it's not a game, but I consider it a level of splitting hairs dangerously close to splitting the atom.

If only your cocksured overconfidence were true. But, alas, it's not.

I filled out the survey, it was rather long. To me it's obvious the point of the survey is to gauge how much more DRM-like (things that require one to be online using the so-called "optional" client) things users are willing to tolerate. That and the what would you want from a so-called "hypothetical" subscription service. (Rhetorical question) How would a subscription service from an online game download retailer that said retailer claims to have only DRM-free games actually work with DRM-free games? (The games in the subscription service most likely wouldn't be DRM-free.)

Every time there was a text box I always put that I was not interested in games that use DRM-like things such as Hitman, CyberPunk or the re-releases of Saints Row The Third & the Witcher 3 nor was I interested in further so-called "optional" client integration.

Another thing they asked about was a "hypothetical" GOG mobile app. I responded that was not interested either a so-called "optional" client or mobile app because they are used to either restrict how one uses one's purchases for which one has already paid and/or are used to data mine and sell one's computer or mobile device use.

Any of you interested how the words of the managing director of an organization don't match actions of said organization?
"All games on GOG are DRM-free, without exception." I guess one can mostly say this with a straight face if one continually redefines what so-called "DRM-free" means in their opinion. This is from an interview that was posted 4 days ago. Take note of the title of the article, try not to laugh. https://www.cgmagonline.com/interviews/drm-free-gaming-future-with-gog/

The erosion of GOG's DRM-free so-called "principles" will most likely continue, especially if the proposed merger of Microsoft & Activison/Blizzard is completed. https://www.cgmagonline.com/news/microsoft-activision-blizzard-ftc-saga/

You you're like me & are not happy with GOG's step-by-step migration from being truly DRM-free I suggest you push back & voice your displeasure whenever the opportunity presents itself. I am reminded of this comment from a post from about a couple of years ago, "Is the frog boiled yet?" https://www.gog.com/forum/general/news_gog_galaxy_to_start_selling_epic_games/post481

I completed the survey, but there was one statement, where I wasn't sure for 100% about the meaning.

I mean, I think that I understood, but I had in mind other interpretation.

It was question/statement about "finding the game I'm interested". How should I understand it:

1.Finding something in the current offer, that is interesting for me and I don't have it yet?

or

2.Finding some concrete game I'm interested, if it's in GOG offer (or other store's offer)?

I think it was the 1, but i'm still not completely certain.

I personally phrased some expections I would have, even if most probably they won't happen (or at least won't happen anytime soon), such as offering "clean" ROMS for older platforms (Mega Drive, SNES etc), adding to offer DRM-free android games (but only those without micropayments, ads and "mandatory always online" feature).

The one point which will probably be considered by part of community as controversial/not good, was that I have expressed my preference to focus more on classics from 90 and early 2000 and less on games from 80'. This was due to my observation of recent release of classic games on GOG - we had recently quite a lot of PC games made in 80. But seeing how they play, how they look like etc, made me realize, that I will never buy them - not because I can't afford them, but because it would be impossible for me to force myself to play them. And by multiple reasons - about their graphics/sounds, about gameplay, content, control etc.

I'm willing to buy more classic releases on GOG, but not those from 80. And yes, I know that at this point it became hard to have more games from 90' (and early 2000), since those were at the beginning top priority of releases on GOG, so with time obtaining more of them became harder and harder.

Also, I expressed my interest in games that are not "DRM-ed" also in terms of multiplayer. I strongly believe that multiplayer is a valuable addition to games (even if I spend majority of my time on playing in SP) and I highly appreciate, whenever we have either some classic game or even newer game (example-Gladius: Relics of War) that have non-DRMed multiplayer (even if there are multiple MP connection types and some of them are DRM-ed and other not, it's still worth to have it). Plus I see many values from MP mode (like competing with other human mind, making alive older games, socializing in better way than by many "toxic" MMOs etc).

Mobile apps are bad now? This place is funny.

Have you actually developed any mobile apps yourself, or at least read any reviews of mobile apps lately? A few positive rated ones and thousands upon thousands of "doesn't work properly" comments up to and including major banks where an app will be expected to work on OS versions as diverse as Android 5-13, mobiles, tablets & chrome-books, x86 & ARM, all different hardware, maybe Apple vs Android variants too, etc, that ends up a massive time-sink (universally far more than mobile app developer originally intended / budgeted for). When you're a small PC gaming store with an already overburdened support team, spreading those limited resources too thinly isn't "free", it'll mean even longer support ticket wait ties for actual PC gamers whilst the queue gets clogged up with "Galaxy Mobile doesn't work properly" / "keeps crashing" / "why can't I play these GOG games on my Android phone?" tickets from those who've never heard of GOG, saw the 'gaming app' on Google Play and thought they are selling Android games then swear to never use 'that GOG store' again for "lying". 100% guaranteed. Been there and seen that at work.

GOG will always have the difficulty of balancing SERVICE which normally supplied by servers and subject to account control and SOFTWARE which is DRM free where the program is free of external control.

Many services, such as downloading installers can easily be done via the website, while other such as achievements, cloud saves and time tracking are better done via some kind of account bound management program (launcher) like Galaxy.

A GOG version of Workshop will likely be part of Galaxy as its a service and its far simpler to administer (for users, dev and gog) it via the client.
While possible to allow workshop functionality via the website alone, it does add a considerable level complexity.

It would be great if they can, but if its a choice between Workshop being Galaxy only and No Workshop at all, the for most users I feel Galaxy only is the preferred option.

There are lots of services that consumers expect, ones GOG must add in order to remain competitive, most can remain separate from the software (such as a mobile app for chat and 2FA) but there are some which will be integral to the Software and which will push the boundary of DRM Free too far for some.

The Survey mentioned MOBA games. While not my cup of tea, there are plenty that do enjoy them. But heir core functionality is from a service, multi-player matchmaking, and as such it functionality will be severely limited without Galaxy.

Now I'd love all GOG multiplayer games to come with LAN and private servers as standard, but that ship sailed 15 years ago and GOG isn't big enough to call it back to shore.

So should GOG be offering such games?, personally I say yes as the game is effectively a service. Give consumers the choice, but make sure its an informed choice.

I draw the line where functionality that should be in the software is offloaded as a service, Hitman's progress system was a clear abuse of a service model

Why would Steam allow that? What would be in it for Valve, helping out one of their competitors who "doesn't have to pay Steam a lot of money in exchange for access to workshop files"?