So, despite the fact that I've had it on GOG for a long time now, I picked it up on Steam.
While you have to download it and run it through Steam once, you can then move that installation anywhere else on that computer you want.
So, other than Steam itself being required to download the game, it can be freely played without Steam afterwards.
Making it, effectively, DRM-free on Steam.
This is true for the current version, at least.

Requiring the Steam client to install the game is DRM on it self. If Steam ever stops to exist you won't be able to do a clean install (there's work-a-rounds of course, but no normal install). It's just how much you care about such a thing which also might depend on your situation and for how long you want to keep playing a game.

I'm happy though that Hinterland has communicated about what the decision was. And the fact that they keep updating the game. I'm only afraid that GOG will keep missing fun events like 4DoN, but we've had it once so only time will learn. :)

Indeed, that is one of the major reasons I prefer the GOG releases over the Steam releases.

I guess that's good enough for me. Thank you!

Darn it, I just found the game on Steam and thought "That seems really cool, but the question is, is it on GOG?".
And now I found that it was on GOG but no longer is for whatever reason?
I think I'm going to wait and see if the devs change their mind, or go without.

Fact is... there are some developers on GOG who are solid picks to buy from, but there are way too many who treat GOG as an afterthought... I've heard so many times: "we'll update the GOG build sometime in the next few months" (and it never comes), "we have no plans on updating the GOG build, sorry" (and you're forever stuck with a buggy version)... I love GOG, but all too often, it feels like a gamble unless you buy from a developer that has a proven track record here... what Hinterland did here (they call it a business decision, I call it shady) is another one of those moments when I begin to re-evalutate buying games here... At the end of the day, I have to ask myself... "would I rather have a fully patched and supported game that requires Steam over a release and forget, forever bugged and unsupported game that I can get on GOG"... sucks it has to be this way

That doesn't make sense to me. There's no downside to selling it here if they're putting in the work to keep it up to date anyway. In fact, they're actually losing out on potential sales this way while still having to put in the same amount of effort. Very strange situation.

If it's any consolation, I've noticed that absent patches is less of a problem with recently released games and from what I've gathered GOG now appears to be pressing developers harder to update their games on time. They can't exactly force them to do so due to their weaker position compared to Steam, but they're not ignoring the problem.

Curious as to where you gathered that info?

Haven't had any updating problem with Hinterland (with the exception of events) and other developers here on GOG. With new games that is.

No worries, I wasn't putting you on the spot, was just curios.... I do agree recent games have been a bit better... but nonetheless, it's annoying knowing I have games in my GOG library that will never get the updates Steam did

Well, i'm not happy at all. Saying "Just a business decision, like dozens i make every day" has a point of disrespect about the question and customers here that it is inexcusable, imo. It's like saying "hey, i also take out the trash every day, it does not take too much effort".

I don't think that lonely answer to a single person is either a "communication" or "shedding some light " on what made him (them) take the decision. That's saying nothing at all.

Also, about game able to work for a week if you go Steam offline, etc, like someone was asking and saying, nope. Game is DRM-free also on Steam, which makes this removal even weirder and incomprehensible. You can make a copy of the whole folder, completely remove Steam from your computer and game will run forever alone.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not amused at all about the decision. Especially because some people who wanted to buy it (on GOG only) don't can get there hands on it any more. :/

On the Hinterland forums I've also stated that the communication was improving the past year and it suddenly dropped to zero gain. They don't like it when you say it but it's true.

That doesn't mean that they're bad developers though, I love the Long Dark and they should be really proud.

Yup, i saw you there worrying about the GOG question! :D

And no, by any means they are bad developers when it comes to the game. I also love, really really love TLD, but precisely when you love something you get more disappointed with decisions like this one, because you really care.

Oh, and being good developers doesn't mean they are good publishers or that they take good decisions from a fan or customer point of view. I also consider Paradox (the developer) being a good one, but the way they do things actually as publishers... :S

The way they got out of here, forcing a shut down of their store page on GOG "i said now!" slamming the door to quickly go to Steam to make the lowest sale of their history is...ugly, very ugly.

That said, i was thinking again in this and wondered if the new daily challenge system they introduced for Halloween has something to do with the removal and if with redux they are going to introduce some kind of online check-connection and this was motive for dispute with GOG? I said in my last post that game was already DRM-free but maybe they are planning on changing it and perhaps including more daily challenges as a new mode? Or i am thinking too much now, probably xD

No problem, I didn't think you were. :) I just wanted to make sure that I didn't paint an inaccurate picture, as I know that this a rather frustrating issue.

That would be doubly strange, as that would mean that they'd have to make a separate build for GOG that doesn't have those features. So they'd be putting in more effort than they were previously, without the chance to profit from it. That doesn't mean that what you say won't happen, just that I find the way they're doing this quite weird.