What the hell happened to GOG and CDPR philosophy of easy instalation and easy play? I already use a Galaxy launcher and now I get bothered by brand new REDLauncher just to play CP2077?!!! To the hell with you and your launcher! Stick it where the sun don't shine. Roll it back and now!
To add an insult to injury, it offers me to buy "Ultimate Cyberpunk experience" even though I already own both game and dlc.

Welcome to the new GOG. We fed the tiger and used their "optional" client, we turned a blind eye when some games ended up here with exclusive online-only content, now we reap the whirlwind with unnecessary bloat like multiple launcher logins.

The launcher IS CDPR's fault though, it's technically not GOGs. There are other games here I think which use a second launcher for online login, so CDPR isn't the only publisher/dev guilty of having them.

Larian implemented a launcher in Divinity:OS 2, now that launcher can be bypassed. I don't know about CP 2077, but i'm presuming that whatever launcher it uses can also be bypassed.

Still, this is supposed to be a DRM free store and we shouldn't have to bypass stupid launchers!

What is the DRM in the launcher ? Can you not just press play and start the game?

At least it's not mandatory to run alongside and the game itself - like the one on the other platform - or is it?

See that's the thing, the launcher (if present) is supposed to do just that launch the game! But instead it wants your email and registration to who knows what, etc.

Also it is just soooo annoying when years later some wise-ass comes up with this brilliant idea to put a launcher in a game that never had one.

Add "--launcher-skip" command line argument to skip the REDlauncher.

If you want to play Witcher 3 without the REDlauncher and use DirectX11 then you have to additionally change in
launcher-configuration.json

"fallback": "DirectX 12" to "fallback": "DirectX 11".

Agreed.

I get it its annoying. I hated it when they added it to the original Witcher 3 version after the next gen upgrades... why even touch the original version... But I still didnt quite undrstand can you not just start the game?

CDPR and GOG built their reputation on being User friendly. Adding another ad-ware layer (and launcher serves to nothing else but advertisement) is not only user unfriendly but highly annoying. You are getting an ad to game you've already paid for.
I want to play a game I own, not to waste my time by clicking ton of ads for things I already own.
To galaxy user it is already absurd since we're using a launcher (either galaxy or steam) to launch a launcher to launch the game.

If I take things to ad absurdum, then in future you will need a launcher to lauch a launcher to launch launcher to launch yet another launcher to finally launch a game.

That's the main reason I avoid galaxy (I used to try it since I trusted gog, and I was using it as a downloader.. now I don't even have it on my pc) and I don't buy cd projekt red games anymore (I even avoided to download the witcher 3 next gen update... I liked it the way it was, I already finished the original goty release... I don't see any reason to download the new version with drm stuff).
I will never buy cyberpunk, I think I'll only get it if it's free with a giveaway (not sure if I will ever install it or play it).

The fact that it launches a launcher rather than jumping to executable is the shoddy thing an indie game from 2010 should do, not a professional company.

It also encourages OS lock-out, seeing as it gives them an excuse to not bother building.

This is what happens when the vast majority (but not all) of GOG customers either:

a) completely ignored DRM-creep in games like Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 and/or
b) downplayed that very same DRM-creep and/or
c) proactively defend GOG and CDPR for implementing that same DRM-creep.

The end result of ignoring and/or downplaying and/or defending DRM-creep is that then customers will inevitably get more of it, including new "launchers."

Also, maybe CDPR is setting the groundwork to sell and/or shutdown GOG in the medium to long-term future, with the idea that GOG is not where the real money is ever going to come from, but that making their own DRM-launcher could be.