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General discussionNo Sea of Stars today? Super disappointing(53 posts)(53 posts)
(53 posts)
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Posted September 05, 2023
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ChrisGriffin: Or perhaps was there some sort of back alley deal made with steam for PC exclusivity? Because the game is not only unavailable on GOG, but also unavailable on itch.io, Epic Game Store and other PC retailers. Steam is the only one.
I suspect this in many cases, and usually the game provider does not like to talk about it or even admit to it, hoping to avoid any negative flack no doubt ... or that might be part of the agreement, because Steam also try to avoid negative flack over such secret exclusivity deals.

And I wouldn't put it past a game provider experimenting with different approaches, to see what is the best marketing approach for their game(s). It is probably well known, that a good number of folk will buy at Steam anyway if not available at GOG etc. And Steam is where most of the profit is, and releasing at GOG is probably seen as just a little extra pocket money.

I do also wonder if bugfixing comes into it. Where you get the product right at one store first, with only one lot of bugfixes.
Post edited September 05, 2023 by Timboli
Posted September 05, 2023
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ChrisGriffin: Why is there no GOG release?

I've been following the development of this game for a very long time now.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem like there will be a GOG release (at least not in the foreseeable future) despite the previously made promises to some kickstarter users that there will be.

Now this is very surprising because The Messenger was released on GOG at the same time as other platforms. So there was already a reasonable expectation that this game also will be. The difference here is that The Messenger was published by Devolver Digital, and Sea Of Stars by Sabotage Studio itself. Therefore it's the studio itself that has decided not to release on GOG (at this time).

So what is the reason for Sea Of Stars not being on GOG?

Fear of piracy? Can't possibly be that because the game has been already pirated since it was released, and they are all steam rips.

Fear of doing additional work with the files for GOG? Again, unlikely. GOG has tools which can adapt the game files for manual installers and Galaxy, so the work on the developer's part would be minimal.

https://www.gog.com/submit-your-game

Or perhaps was there some sort of back alley deal made with steam for PC exclusivity? Because the game is not only unavailable on GOG, but also unavailable on itch.io, Epic Game Store and other PC retailers. Steam is the only one.

Sea Of Stars is currently the most upvoted game of the week on GOG.

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

I fondly remember playing games like Golden Sun or Chrono Trigger and this game reminds me a lot of them. There is a certain level of nostalgia when looking back on those games.

And owning a game such as this one without any DRM is part of that nostalgic feeling. I think that the team really missed the mark on this one.
The reason for Sea of Stars not being available on GOG, despite expectations and promises to some Kickstarter backers, is unclear. It's possible that the decision is related to the game's publisher, Sabotage Studio, opting not to release it on GOG. Potential reasons could include concerns about piracy, perceived additional work in adapting the game files for GOG, or perhaps an exclusive arrangement with Steam for PC distribution. The absence of the game on other PC platforms like Epic Games Store and itch.io suggests a specific distribution strategy, although the exact details remain undisclosed. The game's popularity on GOG's wishlist highlights the demand for it on the platform, especially for those who seek a nostalgic, DRM-free experience.
Posted September 06, 2023
To everyone debating why the game is exclusive to Steam on PC- you're actually wrong. It is on the Windows store as well.
Posted September 06, 2023
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CMOT70: To everyone debating why the game is exclusive to Steam on PC- you're actually wrong. It is on the Windows store as well.
I know what Microsoft makes every bad attempt to suggest, but in practice, that's Xbox.

Meanwhile in Sabotage's Discord, officials have made it clear that everybody who has already voiced appreciation for a GOG release in my question thread is now meant to shut up and post no more.

Current GOG status as of today is, quote, "nothing is off the table".

Ah well, back to playing Islanders until forever, I guess.
Post edited September 06, 2023 by Vainamoinen
Posted September 06, 2023
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Vainamoinen: Meanwhile in Sabotage's Discord, officials have made it clear that everybody who has already voiced appreciation for a GOG release in my question thread i
I don't use Discord, but hopefully some people there had also posted dis-appreciation for a GOG release, and encouraged them not to release Sea of Stars on GOG, if the GOG release were to be another feature-missing, second-class-citizen treatment version, like their previous GOG release is.
Posted September 06, 2023
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: second-class-citizen treatment
When not even the GOG reviewers give two fucks about a bunch of tacked on extrinsic reward schemes, it literally doesn't matter under what arbitrary conditions the people in the whiny entitled brats thread would allow enjoyment of the game.
Posted September 10, 2023
Here's what hurts the most.

Before releasing The Messenger Sabotage Studio was nothing. Just another brand new company out there trying to prove themselves with a brand new game. So naturally they attempted to release their game on as many platforms as possible, GOG included. GOG was good enough for them then.

Some months/years have passed and they've made it big with their first hit. With their second one they've even used Kickstarter and amassed CA$ 1,628,126. So naturally, they should use the same tested platforms as before, right? Wrong! Apparently the number of users who want a DRM free version of the game is not yet satisfactory, but they are "indeed keeping track of demand and wishlist numbers for the platforms that aren't currently covered". Now GOG is not good enough for them.

What happened to just releasing the game on as many platforms as possible so that users who don't use certain platforms also have a chance to buy it? Where's the appreciation for customer's loyalty?

Apparently we GOG users are nothing to them. Just an insignificant number.
Post edited September 10, 2023 by ChrisGriffin
Posted September 13, 2023
I don't have a GOG brand or company loyalty. For me, the question to the developers isn't where their loyalty towards their customers is, but rather what they're doing to the market and themselves when they're handing a single PC distributor an uncontestable monopoly in a gift basket.
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Community
General discussionNo Sea of Stars today? Super disappointing(53 posts)(53 posts)
(53 posts)