I didn't and wouldn't participate in Connect. If I like Steam so much that I'd link accounts then why wouldn't I just stick with Steam? Also, they said the link would be permanent. Maybe linking works differently now because of Galaxy but I'll never find out because I'll never link any of those other places either. Mind you, I'm not saying I want everything I buy to be from one store. I've bought DRM-free things (with offline installers) from other stores and I wouldn't link those accounts either.

Uh a gog.com employee said GOG Connect was for a limited time, makes sense I seen so many PC gamers who uses Steam purchase the video games that were offered on GOG Connect from Steam only to claim it as free on gog.com. I am very happy gog.com discontinued or is discontinuing GOG Connect. A lot of free loaders. I paid for the video games and other people just get to get them for free when I purchased those video games on both gog.com and on Steam? it is not fair at all.

Well if we start the fairness discussion about paying, then you shouldn't be using GOG at all. Nor Steam for that matter.

GOG used to have only two price points, and they were the same to people all over the world.
Now they have regional pricing and people in one country pay less or more than people in some other countries.

And that was the fatal flaw of GOG Connect that broke the program's neck.

Extremely obvious in hindsight.

Well, if one would want to stick with Steam, he would not come here in the first place.

Connect was a way to give players interested in GOG something to start with, so they could come to GOG and not have to buy everytrhing again (which most would not have done and would not have become customers here).

It was a nice thing, I got some of my Steam games here now as well, on Steam they are now in the "duplicate on GOG" category which never gets opened again.

There are many ways to "keep customers happy", this was one of them.

Of course it was a financial stretch, but at the same time get new potential people here like every other giveaway promotion. The Epic giveaways also work.Of course some people will never buy anyhing on Epic, but others will. I have done so (still better than Steam, Epic is my second last choice, Steam the last).

Was it a failure? No, I don't think so. It has served it's purpose and it's over now.

Wasn't the "no questions asked" refund policy on Steam the fatal flaw?

It was possible, at least theoretically, to buy a game on Steam, get it through GOG Connect, and then refund it on Steam, but keep it for free on GOG.


Obviously if GOG wanted to continue the Connect program there are a number of ways to make sure such things wouldn't be possible, the most obvious one being taking a snapshot of Steam profile before the Connect promotion begins, so getting the Connect games later on Steam wouldn't count.

No more a flaw really, than getting a game under false pretenses, and GOG have stipulated that they have right to removal any time for the GOG Connect games.

In reality, getting a game in any situation where you then refund it, and then keep a copy, whether here at GOG or Steam etc, is doing the wrong thing, and no doubt illegal. No different in fact, than downloading a pirated version. If the right to ownership is no longer there, you have an illegal copy.

So if one gets a game by such means, then they might as well have downloaded a pirate copy.

Well clearly you are speaking for yourself and your take on things.

I don't like Steam at all, but have plenty of games on there, mostly free ones. I was quite happy to have a few of the same games at GOG via GOG Connect instead, as it meant I could avoid Steam and any client issues with those.

GOG was doing a good thing with GOG Connect, and the same with those developers who supported it. Why pay for the same game twice. In a fair world you would never have to do that.

And it is absolute nonsense to see it as harming GOG. It is no different to any other kind of promotion. Free games are given away all the time, and at least in the GOG Connect scenario, the game has been bought once, unless it was a freebie .... but then a freebie is a freebie no matter where you get it.

Just because you get a game for free via GOG Connect, does not mean that GOG has lost a sale. Sure it might be for those who don't mind buying their games more than once, but many never do that. In very real terms, you are being taken advantage of if you have to buy a game twice, to have it at more than one store. There is something quite shonky and unethical about enforcing that dichotomy.

GOG Connect is one way for the store and DEV/PUB to give back to the gaming community, who after all finance their continuing existence. They wouldn't be anything without customers.

Who else would I speak for? I don't like Steam and don't want it here. If GOG had the handful of games I use Steam for, I wouldn't use Steam at all. Shouldn't have to have an internet connection or Steam's client to play a singleplayer game. Yes, I'm aware of Steam's offline mode. It's not good enough.

Great posts below by Timboli on the matter. I agree: Why go through the hassle? If people are these kinds of asshats, they'd just pirate the game.

I made a complete list of all games with notes about the stores I own them on :)

Still from time to time it happens that I buy something on GOG in a sale, that I either forgot to take off my wishlist when I got it on Epic for free (most games there are also DRM free) or because I want to have it on GOG, QED.
Grim Fandango I bought twice on purpose when it was on a 75% sale, because the humble version also includes the great soundtrack.

The point I was making, is that if there is a benefit for some here by having something like GOG Connect, then who are you or I for that matter to complain, unless there is a negative that impacts GOG and thus us.

No-one forced GOG to have the GOG Connect feature, and I along with many others have benefited from it, and I don't doubt GOG have too.

Like many things, that can be ignored or avoided, those who don't like them should just continue to do so.

Some folk here, just feel they have the right to dictate what we can or can't have at GOG, which is wrong.

I don't like Galaxy, I don't like Achievements for instance, but I defend the right for others here to have those things. I also defend the right for GOG Connect to exist and benefit those who it benefits, trusting to GOG's judgment in relation to that.