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General discussionZoom Platform Poaching GOG games?(234 posts) (234 posts) 
(234 posts) 
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 07, 2023
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DoomSooth: Mr. Freeman said that exclusivity wasn't requested but Mr. Tiller from Autumn Moon liked Zoom's release the most and decided the game should be sold there.

This is a partial quote: "It was delisted everywhere. For what it’s worth, we didn’t request exclusivity either. Mr. Tiller was very kind and complimented us on how our version ran the best. As a thank you for our services, he decided to make us the sole PC distributor. So I guess we should apologize for having a dedication to quality?"

Feel free to check out Zoom's Discord server to read what prompted it.
Thanks for the info. But,

That quotation strikes me as being somewhat disingenuous. On the one hand, he says "exclusivity was not requested," which makes it sound like he agrees that exclusivity is bad for consumers and should not be done, yet on the other hand, he happily accepted exclusivity anyway, which is a contradiction.

He could have, alternatively, said something to the effect of: thank you for the offer, but we do not want ZP to have exclusivity because that is bad for consumers. Therefore, please release the game on other platforms as well too, just like it was before.

And if he is so caring that the ZP build runs the best, then he could always sign a contract with other platforms, including GOG, that gives the other platforms the legal rights to sell ZP's build of the game, with ZP's full consent and permission. So that's a second reason why it seems disingenuous to use ZP's build being the best as the reason for why it should be a ZP exclusive.
Posted March 07, 2023
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: He could have, alternatively, said something to the effect of: thank you for the offer, but we do not want ZP to have exclusivity because that is bad for consumers. Therefore, please release the game on other platforms as well too, just like it was before.
Yes, most definitly stores should decline to sell anything that isn't sold also somewhere else.
That's how you do business.
GOG should also remove all exclusive titles.

Maybe the creator will or will not sell it in other stores at some point, bigger stores than Zoom probably want more legal security.

Anyway, the question if the game was "poached" or should be answered by now.
Posted March 07, 2023
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foad01: The OP thinks that ZP could be big enough to "poach" big titles from GOG like HOMM3.
That's not exactly what I said. I do not think ZP currently has enough clout to accomplish something like that.

Rather, my point is that if this phenomenon of the poaching of GOG games is not nipped in the bud right now, by way of consumer backlash & protest, against it, then the most likely outcome is that it will snowball and become much worse over time, in the future.

And as that happens, the games that get poached will be become incrementally bigger in stature, one step at a time, until eventually even customers who initially dismissed the poaching as "no big deal," because it used to be done only against small games that they don't care about, now they might find themselves suddenly caring when the poaching eventually starts to hit big titles.
Posted March 07, 2023
What future? Same as ppl like you and you predict for GOG (DRM bla blah)? ZOOM exist from '14 have their exclusives (or DRM free exclusives, or non steam non/exclusives - let's pretend steam not exist at all anything is better not on steam). They have games DRM free released there but not on GOG. And GOG don't care for that game. Egg Z2 Steel Soldiers Remastered.

That future is NOW. Almost decade of Zoom.

Maybe there is a reason. ZOOM make drm free games. GOG sometimes too - by outsource. Sega titles including upcoming Dawn of War it is GOG who paid to make such drm free (cracked) version. Some games they don't want to pay, Zoom (Jordan Freeman) do or make themselfs.

There is still no games Zoom steal or "poach". No one. There is games "poached" from Zoom. Is there is something else to discuss here?
Post edited March 07, 2023 by QWEEDDYZ
Posted March 07, 2023
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neumi5694: Anyway, the question if the game was "poached" or should be answered by now.
Indeed, it seems I now stand corrected, and rather than it being a deliberate poaching, as I had initially thought, it now seems instead to have been a semi-deliberate poaching.

I hardly see that change from deliberate to semi-deliberate as being a big improvement to the poaching situation, though. It's still very bad for consumers.
Post edited March 07, 2023 by Ancient-Red-Dragon
Posted March 07, 2023
There is no such thing as a "gOg game". games belong to delopers / publishers, not the store. the developers / publishers are free to sell, or not sell, their games through any store front they want.
Posted March 07, 2023
Maybe we should wait for a second example before getting overly worried.

I don't think exclusive deals are beneficial to game developers anyway - which is why I think they are unlikely to become common.
Post edited March 07, 2023 by lupineshadow
Posted March 07, 2023
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amok: There is no such thing as a "gOg game". games belong to delopers / publishers, not the store. the developers / publishers are free to sell, or not sell, their games through any store front they want.
That is true in a technical & legal sense.

But is it also true in a spiritual sense? I would argue no, it isn't. And if even if is, then that's still a much harder argument to make than would be the technical & legal one.

Especially when GOG markets itself with concepts like: we let you keep your GOG games forever because you own them, and a "curated selection of games," etc. Those concepts are tied to the idea that GOG has a specific identity, which would require "GOG games" to constitute that identity. But if there is no such thing as "GOG games," then that wouldn't be possible for GOG to have such an identity.
Post edited March 07, 2023 by Ancient-Red-Dragon
Posted March 07, 2023
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Chacranajxy: I seriously doubt that any store would use A Vampyre Story as part of an exclusivity strategy. There's not a single aspect of it that makes any sense.
It so needs a sequel. Loved that game; still got the retail box.
Posted March 07, 2023
IMHO, there's no poaching - it's the market adjusting itself, in other words "business as usual". If some developers/publishers feel they'll do better on ZP, by all means it's the right move for them. I don't think any kind of exclusivity pays off in the long run though, but what do I know.

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foad01: And right now, I am absolutely not surprised anymore by the Selaco incident caused by users of ZP's Discord channel. LOL.
Ok, I'll bite, since I live under a rock these days mostly. What Selaco incident?
Post edited March 07, 2023 by WinterSnowfall
Posted March 07, 2023
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WinterSnowfall: What Selaco incident?
In short, after the developer of Selaco did not get a response from GOG after multiple submission attempts, multiple members of the Zoom Platform community started raiding communication channels of Selaco and strongly suggested to release the game on Zoom Platform instead. They appeared to be coordinating this on the ZP Discord server.
Post edited March 07, 2023 by HKayn
Posted March 07, 2023
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amok: There is no such thing as a "gOg game". games belong to delopers / publishers, not the store. the developers / publishers are free to sell, or not sell, their games through any store front they want.
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Ancient-Red-Dragon: That is true in a technical & legal sense.

But is it also true in a spiritual sense? I would argue no, it isn't. And if even if is, then that's still a much harder argument to make than would be the technical & legal one.

Especially when GOG markets itself with concepts like: we let you keep your GOG games forever because you own them, and a "curated selection of games," etc. Those concepts are tied to the idea that GOG has a specific identity, which would require "GOG games" to constitute that identity. But if there is no such thing as "GOG games," then that wouldn't be possible for GOG to have such an identity.
this makes very little sense. firstly - games do not have a "spiritual" value apart from the aesthetic values, which again belomgs to developer / publisher. secondly, you have as much ownership of a game on gOg, Steam, Zoom, etc. The only identity of a "gOg game" is the fact taht you bought a game on gOg at some point in time. same as you then have a Steam game, a Zoom game, a Itch.io game etc. And those games can be the same game. So if I buy Psychonauts on gOg, it is a gOg game, if I buy Psychonauts on Steam it is a Steam game.

There is nothing inherent in the game itself that makes it a "gOg game"
Posted March 07, 2023
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HKayn: In short, after the developer of Selaco did not get a response from GOG after multiple submission attempts, multiple members of the Zoom Platform community started raiding communication channels of Selaco and strongly suggested to release the game on Zoom Platform instead. They appeared to be coordinating this on the ZP Discord server.
"Nice". Thanks for enlightening me. I'm not sure if GOG's disinterest is any better to be honest, but at least the GOGBears aren't a viking raiding party :P.
Posted March 07, 2023
I for one welcome Zoom Platform as a competitor. Competition drives innovation, which GOG is sorely lacking right now.

All I care about is getting DRM-free games. It doesn't matter whether they're from GOG, ZP, itch.io, Humble or anywhere else.

I currently prefer GOG since it has the biggest lead on comfort features like an auto-update client. I also mainly advocate for GOG at the moment, since it's likely to appear as the most attractive choice to developers and publishers, being the largest of the listed stores. But who knows where each store will be 5 years from now.
Posted March 07, 2023
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Chacranajxy: I seriously doubt that any store would use A Vampyre Story as part of an exclusivity strategy. There's not a single aspect of it that makes any sense.
It has happened before.
It used to be a DotEmu exclusive game, not too many people remember that though.

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amok: There is nothing inherent in the game itself that makes it a "gOg game"
Galaxy integration?
Post edited March 07, 2023 by PixelBoy
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Community
General discussionZoom Platform Poaching GOG games?(234 posts) (234 posts) 
(234 posts)