karnak1: Yep. That's exactly why I called it a "conspiracy". When a company like Bethesda refuses to sell Skyrim here when every man and his dog have already played it on every form and platform (legal or pirated) or when Ubisoft apparently refuses to sell Settlers 1 here (when they have launched a full package with every game last year), etc etc etc... It seems obvious to me that they seem fixed on refusing to launch any more games without some form of online activation. I sincerely hope that Time proves me wrong, but I guess that's their plan now.
At least some big publishers like 2K and THQ are still supporting DRM-free gaming somehow. Good for them, since they get my money that way.
tfishell: Hmmm, I hope GOG can stay in business with just indies then. Can't say I've been too interested in what has been brought recently but I'm just one guy of course. Thankfully CP2077 will probably keep them afloat for some time; I recall reading that 1/3 of all preorders are on GOG. (of course Diablo 1)
I understand exactly how you feel. Strangely enough I no longer worry about AAA games on GOG. I've bought so many games here already, that there's no way I could ever finish them on my lifetime. And despite some "duds" I have to admit I'm more and more pleased with the quality and gameplay of recent Indie games.
But don't worry about the future... Unfortunately the AAA industry has been almost overrun by something which I call the "Fortnite Cancer" (over-emphasis on online aspects, MMO gaming and pay-to-win strategy) but this fad will pass and I suspect the implosion of this phenomenon will cause severe damage on some big publishers (unfortunately with collateral damage for their smaller subsidiaries).
The aftermath will make big AAAs desperate for money and knock on every door in order to compensate losses (including GOG's door).
As someone who's gone from Atari cartridges to game cassettes, then floppies, CDs and into digital stores I've seen plenty of change in videogame industry. And one of the very few constant things was that publishers - despite the most extreme copy-protection schemes and policies - inevitably lost the wars against piracy and consumer rights.