@Everybody,
so checking SCPM's link, it seems I got a template answer, or at least a part of it ; this is what got some of the people in the links : "we think that it appears to be too niche and a bit too small in scale in terms of production value for our core users".
But me I didn't get the part "a bit too small in scale in terms of production value for our core users", so at least they judged the production value of my game was good enough, that's something..! :-p

As it seems their answer isn't that top secret, I'm going to quote the important part of the one I got, for clarity :
"Unfortunately, however, we feel that the game would not be a good fit for GOG, as we think that it appears to be too niche for our users, which means that we aren't confident in its release potential on our site.".


@Ganni1987,
already 159 votes now ! :-)
So I'm going to wait for the vote rate to slow down, or at least for the total to pass 300, before to contact them again...

I'm just even more confused. "Small in scale in terms of production value" reads to me as "your game looks too amateurish", and IMO Dungeon Guardians looks a lot more professional than many other Indie games on GOG. "Too niche for our users" is likewise odd, considering the whole userbase of this site is all about niche games, or so I've thought.

I can only guess GOG is trying to change their customer base, or their frustrating acceptance policies seem very random indeed.

Who made the art assets?

@RaggieRags,
you read my previous message a bit too fast : "Small in scale in terms of production value" is what other people got, but not me..! ;-)

Aaah, so I did!

They do use remote people, just not very often. For a full time job you would have to relocate.

I would like to point out a couple of similar games that are no less deserving of a GOG release, but seem unlikely to get one since Dungeon Guardians got a refusal.

Ruzar - The Life Stone: http://steamcommunity.com/app/366510
The battle system is closer to Grimrock, save the fact it's not party-based. You can vote for it here: https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/ruzar_the_life_stone

The Quest: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=569200112
A turn-based gridder much like the old Might and Magic games. I do believe the original PC version was turned down by GOG, which wasn't that much of a surprise since it looked crummy, but now they're releasing an HD version. This game has enjoyed a strong fanbase and very good reviews for years. You can vote for it here: https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/the_quest_hd

Woah, why am I missing out on those by not using Steam?
I'm here for such stuff, it looks great!

Yeah I'm really hyped for The Quest too. HD version looks fantastic.

The thread title answers it all.

I guess my Steam group would be relevant to your interests... http://steamcommunity.com/groups/gridder

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That's rather part of the problem then the solution. GOG can hire as many people as they like if all they do is saying "rejected because too niche" then it could still mean that they make a lot of mistakes.

The crucial question is how to avoid these mistakes (or how to make sure they do not happen)? It could well be that they are systematically making the wrong decisions and (without knowing really) discriminating certain kind of game and/or just making a lot of wrong decisions in their selection.

The one and only real measure of sucess is sales and profits. There is nothing else. Regarding this, the question is rather how GOG can have cheaper releases and throw them out again in order to avoid mistakes instead of hiring new people to do the same stuff.
Yeah, that actually looks really nice. If the story is as good... instant buy for me, even on Steam.

The Quest actually looks pretty awesome, I must say. It looks just like the original dungeon crawler art of the nineties, but aptly updated to today’s standards. If the gameplay is good as well, this would be a great addition to the GOG catelogue.

I haven't played the full game, but I have fiddled a bit with the iPhone demo and was left impressed. Even though it's originally for mobiles, it's not a casual game but as fully-featured as you'd expect from a PC RPG from the 90's. I do believe it's also gained a lot of respect from the folks at RPGWatch and RPGCodex, which for a mobile game is quite the achievement.