If Zoom is poaching games off of GOG via making shady backroom deals, then I certainly won't ever be buying from them.

https://www.zoom-platform.com/

Yes, that is indeed what most people mean when they say Zoom.

However, on GOG in particular, that's not what they are talking about.

Rather, they are talking about another Zoom which has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with and zero connection to the well-known Zoom which you are talking about.

When GOG forum posters say Zoom, they are talking about an extremely tiny, ultra-obscure, DRM-free store, that almost nobody in the world knows about...other than a few GOG customers.

And the fact the obscure Zoom shares their name with the mega-popular Zoom videocalling software...that just makes the obscure Zoom more obscure than ever and almost impossible to find on the internet via search engines...hence the fact that the obscure Zoom leaves their name as that bespeaks great foolishness on their owner's part.

RE: EA deal
If Zoom releases the Ultima Underworld games (and/or the Syndicate games) in a couple of days, both they and EA can go screw themselves.

If, however, Zoom releases the Ultima Underworld games AND Underworld Ascendant, I will buy these games and send a mail containing the words "Ya dun goofd!" along with a screenshot of my receipt to gog support. Because gog's obtuse curation can go screw themselves too!

As we could see on gog during its early days: Obscurity does have its benefits.

All i know that Zoom didn't want paysafecards for some reason and i don't know what reason.
If games from gog disappear and appear on zoom the developers and publishers currently won't see my money being used on Zoom.
Unless i get a credit card some day, but i still haven't found a reason to use one and which one, i could get a mastercard or visa.
But am still researching towards my interests which of these two cards would be most useful in some online stores.
And also a new pc with more security would be needed unless i use my android phone.
Though it's usually vista and up from there that the viruses work. But haven't gotten a virus in like 12 years from visiting the same sites.
And that was a stupid mistake made by trying to use a crack for mirc back in the day where i didn't know that you need to wait 30 seconds to use mirc though i currently don't use it.

Called it in the other thread, the removal of the Ultima Underworlds and Syndicates from GoG was done out of pure spite.
Probably because EA is STILL butt-hurt over those mean tweets by CDPR from years ago, where they indirectly called out EA for being the amoral, greedy scum they are.
Fuck EA, and fuck Zoom for probably all too happily jumping at the opportunity to get one over on GoG at EA's bidding.

Yeah, it is just that. Something about them feels off, in a bad way. As if they're the new crime syndicate on the block, trying to expand their influence. Or it could just be me.

Perhaps it's this. It seems to me they're just a business grown to then be sold with a fat profit margin. I may be very wrong, of course.

I guess time will tell.

The thing is, so many game developers have done exactly that - built up a strong, independent game studio, only to sell it off to the highest corporate bidder. Origin, Bullfrog, Bioware, Obsidian, the list goes on and on ... I mean, CDPR effectively sold out to corporate forces when they went public. And yet people seem to be happy to continue trusting them and buying their games.

Zoom Platform right now are an independent private business, trying to grow a DRM-free online store. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, as long as they are selling 100% DRM-free games, and especially if they are not trying to ram an intrusive client application down my throat.


Another thing I find quite exciting about ZP, is that they seem to be quite open to the concept of selling emulated games on PC. They have a number of Amiga games in their catalogue which are running on an emulator.

A very interesting potential market segment that GOG seem to have written off as not worth pursuing.

Fair enough, but if they saw the opportunity to overtake a competitor going down that route, I'm sure they would. Perhaps they just lack the capital for now.

I'd be the first to welcome a new DRM-free store that aims to be what GOG once was, but I don't think it's them. Of course, I'd much rather GOG became what it once was, but now that the Galaxy's out of the bag, there's no turning back.

Ha, yes. And EA are likely leaning back in their seats looking at the cyberpunk debacle and thinking: “my my, haven’t the tables turned Mr CDPR”

In terms of Zoom, I am keeping my eye on it. It’s early days for them, and they are trying to get more stuff in. Might be ok, time will tell.

If that's really what's going on here then that's utterly pathetic, both from EA and Zoom, and frankly just makes me want to support GOG - warts and all - even more.

Doesn't GOG and Epic share something like >25% of the market share regarding digital sales? And also, wasn't GOG being feeding off CDPR to stay afloat, or am I remembering this wrong?

So, with that vague info in hand, how would a new store compete and make it as a financially viable source of income for the people behind it if they don't have something to back them up like a publishing studio?

The prospect of being richer than God is too good to pass up. That should be very obvious.

Let's see what games they'll be listing before jumping to conclusions. Another possibility is diversifying their IP with another platform so that both platforms start out-competing one another to give EA better business terms.