Yeah, that's a comparison worth making.

Considering we do not know exactly what goes on behind the scenes, I would consider this a rather hasty assumption. For all we know, they fought to keep the game as it is. The game itself seems to only have one minor change, that sex cannot be a reward, but it still exists in the game itself. Nothing else has changed. It is very possible that CD Projekt worked to keep the changes as minimal as they were.

Point is, none of us know specifically how things went, and regardless of what CD Projekt and GOG would like to do, they are still bound by laws and agreements. Their only fault was being hasty announcing one version worldwide.

As for piracy, nothing justifies it. Vote with your wallet and do not purchase it in protest, and purchase it from the UK where various shops are selling it incredibly cheap.

All I want is the customer's ability to buy an uncompromised version. That's the choice that isn't available. As I already said I'm taking a moral standpoint here, not a financially or legally reasonable one. But when I make a game it's going to reach everyone in an uncompromised state, and it's going to be financially reasonable for me to do so, and that's the state that all art should be in. We're stuck in a lopsided phase of global development.
Someone's got to express what I am currently. Usually I let someone else take care of it, but today I'm expressing my concern instead. That situation seemed like a beacon of hope to me at the time, and there were millions of eyes on it.

You're confusing circumstance with lack of artistic integrity.

It is not like it is massively censored. Just a quest where you can't have sex as a reward, big deal.
It is not GoG's fault or the publisher's fault that the unmodified version can not be available in Australia. It is their law made by their politicians that they elected in a democratic way. You can not apply moral over the law.
GoG explained why TW2 is different from other old games they sell here. Just follow the link provided in my first post here.
Given the situation I believe they did whatever was morally and legally possible.
I don't usually defend them but in this case I can't find any flaw in their stance.

The only thing that really needs to be clarified is why NZ gets the same version as Australia if the law is different.

This is new zealand. Where we have an r18 rating yet are getting the censored australian version showed down our throats anyway. Explain that.

Censorship is always a big deal. It's only not if you're not aware how badly it's been abused to fuck people over, and proof that morally confused righteous assholes think they can invent victimless crimes.

From "About us" page:
"8. Same game, same price, no matter where you're from!"

I think someone needs to remove that point as it's no longer valid.

Wow what the hell?

New Zealand gets the censored version even though they are their own country and have their own rating system? What the shit?

That's like America being given a censored game just because Canada decided their version would be censored.

I am extremely disappointed with CDPR and GOG.com

After them stating the Australian version would be uncensored on GOG.com, The price rises and now this, I have lost complete faith in both CDPR and GOG

Trying to hold my tongue and not out-right insult you guys over this, I'll take my business elsewhere.
Fuck oath they do. Last I checked that's false advertising.

Funny how things like this can so quickly change your opinion on things. Two days ago I was in love with CDPR and GOG and right now they have to be nearing the top of my corporate shit-list.

I think you'd have to expand on this for me to know exactly what I should say in response, but... if I had to provide a similar one-liner... "You're using a limited definition of art."...?

Look, I don't want to argue with anyone, the fact that you just posted about censorship being a big deal is really all I expected from the community. Also, I don't have much time right now to do so... I just am so, so disappointed that The Witcher 2 couldn't be released under GOG's ideals, and this New Zealand business seems particularly unfortunate.

But even so...

This site is a fucking miracle. It's... well, to use the phrase I already spent earlier, a "beacon of hope." The fact that GOG is successful is just incredible, and I truly thought that the "pillars of the service" MaxNormal mentioned were going to be applied to a AAA release. One of the most important in the PC gaming world right now. It was too good to be true, I guess. I am aware of the limitations GOG and CDP and publishers in general are under. I don't claim to understand them to their fullest. I thought that, even though such limitations were in place, GOG had secured a way to make a "perfect" global release possible. It's still close... I guess... it's still miles ahead of everything else, and to that effect, good job guys. Amazing job. Best job in recent history, almost inarguably.

In the same breath I curse GOG, I want to maintain that it is fantastic. Sorry, TheEnigmaticT, for feeling that piracy is actually really important for those who are subject to content filtering. Fortunately Australia has the import option, so that seems like the most logical route for consumers who care. And when Switch296 says that s/he is taking his/her business elsewhere, well, then the question is where? For The Witcher 2, yeah, it doesn't make sense to use GOG. But as others have said the limitations upon GOG and CDP are too great to provide what we, the consumer, ultimately want. They know what we want, and for the most part, they've done a damn good job of providing it.

They mentioned it was a licencing issue rather than a legal one, that would likely mean that its the local distributors throwing a hissy fit and cdp simply don't have the business clout or the digital presence to say "fuck you and your grandpa physical media which is so last century, we'll just release it ourselves".

The problem for new zealanders is that the local australian distributors would also service your quaint little island so you're getting caught in the splash damage of the bullshit bomb we were hit with.

Sucks to be you

But then it sucks to be us too

Apparently the publisher that submitted the game to the Australian OFLC censored it BEFORE sending it in.

They did so because they would of most likely looked over the content and saw it broke the "no sexual rewards" or whatever but they still should have tried to get it in uncensored, they didn't. They censored first then submitted.

Do you know how many MA15+ uncensored games have sex as a reward in Australia? LOTS! Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Fable, The first Witcher and the list goes on.

Context of the situations in which these rules are broken or rather bended allows those games to be released here uncensored. I'm pretty sure The Witcher 2 would have gotten in here just fine if they submitted it uncensored.

But no, Namco Bandai asked for CDPR to censor first, submitted later.

What is tipping me over the edge is the fact that New Zealand is being made to suffer for our poor video game rating system when it is it's own country and shouldn't have to.

CDPR or Namco Bandai REALLY screwed up when they decided New Zealand versions would be censored too, regardless the reason.

Problably because they are the same market.

I remember that when I bought Bioshock premium edition I found out it's censored, because it's the same version as sold in Germany. So I had to buy premiere edition, which was uncensored (because it was the same version as sold in UK). So, being a small (or smaller than neighbour) country sucks, and things like this happens.

And about CDP and NB not submitting TW2 - maybe they got "unofficial" info or something like that? NB could have some connections in the office, and they could get such info. Maybe it was even a part of a bargain - you cut sex quest prize off, and we won't bother you with any other requests. Too many possibilities, just to blame GOG/CDP without trying to understand.

It's not because they are the same market, I haven't heard of any of the other games censored in Australia having New Zealand suffer for it.