It honestly didn't matter when the Hitman games removed Denuvo because their normal system is already worse. I played this game back when it released on PS4 and put up with all their BS (including throwing you out of the game into the main menu if it lost the online connection for a second).

When Hitman 2 released and they still kept this system ignoring the very real possibility that the servers can go down since they lost their publisher with Square Enix, I stopped supporting them entirely. They STILL have no plan to handle the servers going down.

This is a losing situation to have the game still in this state on GOG. It's a problem that I can't trust a supposed DRM free storefront to have DRM free games.

They haven't yet on Steam, even five and a half years later.

thank you for the warning.
I'll just stop buying games on gog if they don't correct this in a few days.
I just don't see any reason to buy games here if they don't sell drm-free games anymore.

rly, gog? rly?

People are even complaining on Reddit about the DRM instead of defending it, things must be bad!
https://www.reddit.com/r/gog/comments/pt9wcl/hitman_2016_has_released_on_gog_with_online_drm/

So, GOG started out bringing good old games to market...

... now that doesn't particularly apply anymore.

They also brought DRM free games to market...

... now that doesn't particularly apply anymore.

(and don't even get me on to data-mining via Galaxy)

What is GOG now?

I really don't know anymore.

Please answer to this question: are you aware, that this is a single-player game and that therefore the Escalation and Elusive Target missions affected by the always online DRM are, in fact, hours of single-player content?

It's as if the GOG executives have seen the additional money they could be making if they sold very popular DRM-encumbered games and they decided they want a piece of that pie, so they did this as a test to see if people will go along with it.

It was bad enough when some games sold on GOG had a form of DRM (either serial keys or required registration) for multiplayer content. Requiring DRM for exclusively single-player content is absolutely inexcusable and unacceptable.

Since this game still requires the always-online requirement, I honestly can't see any reason to buy the game here on GOG when I already own it on Steam (or any benefit from buying it on GOG versus Steam for those who don't already own it).

This is a new fucking low for GOG. What a disgrace!

So does that mean you are not buying any games anywhere, anymore?

I basically buy games only from GOG, and DRM-free. So if I started boycotting all GOG games, even the DRM-free ones, due to this, then it would mean I would stop buying any games.

Nah, I don't think your suggestion makes any sense. If people stopped buying DRM-free games due to this, all it would "prove" both to the game publishers and GOG is that DRM-free games don't sell because apparently no one is buying them.

Nah, I think it is much better to boycott the game which has DRM, and keep buying DRM-free games. That shows both to the publishers, and also GOG, which kind of games we want to buy. I vote with my wallet. For instance, I just bought Darksiders Genesis from GOG, instead of Hitman.

So, can we finally declare Sep 22nd the day GOG finally took the mask off and explicitly broke the DRM-FREE claim?
In case you agree, Could any the oldest & reputed DRM-Free GOG members please set this shameful date in stone? This an historical date we need collectively remember...

Guys, if we can't trust Gog anymore about new games being fully DRM-free and playable offline for single-player.. there's no point buying here.
We could all just move to Epic or Steam and check forums for info about DRM. And getting better deals and features, meanwhile..

I still buy DRM-free games. Just not from GOG. I refuse to support a store that openly lies about their principles. And doesn't even mark some of their DRM-ed games.

Therefore I rather go to other DRM-free stores or even to DRM-agnostic stores who clearly mark which games have DRM and which have not.

GOG used to be a store where you could trust that you'd get DRM-free games. Not anymore. So until they clean up their act and either return to being 100% DRM-free or openly admit that they are now DRM-agnostic and introduce a filter by DRM in their store, I won't buy anything here.

And yes, I think it makes sense to boycott GOG. If enough people were to start acting like that instead of throwing money at companies they complain about, it would create pressure to change things. Companies (GOG included) don't care about your complaints in forums. They care about the revenue they get. If that drops, they will react and try to rectify things to appease their customers.

Why does GOG still claim to be DRM free if they're willing to do shit like this? This isn't some multiplayer only component, this is hours of single player content.

By selling this game, in this state, GOG has pushed its mounting levels of hypocracy to clownish levels.

GOG, you disgust me, you have become a greedy, scummy platform full of liars and shills.