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General discussionLinux support on GOG(1808 posts)(1808 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 20, 2014
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Future_Suture: Linux Game Sales Statistics From Multiple Developers. Considering how much less market share Linux has compared to Mac OS, Linux sure is keeping up!
Thx, very interesting.

Some statistics from the given data [5.8 5.0 4.0 3.74 2.7 2.65 1.8 1.7 1 0.4]

Mean = 2.8790 %
Median = 2.6750%
Std-dev= 1.7430 %
Posted January 20, 2014
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Future_Suture: Linux Game Sales Statistics From Multiple Developers. Considering how much less market share Linux has compared to Mac OS, Linux sure is keeping up!
Two quotes I especially enjoy from that article:
I'm ideologically* committed to Linux regardless of how big the sales are -- and I choose cross-platform targets that make supporting Linux almost cost-free. There's a little extra support, but it's cheap enough that the extra sales are basically just gravy. Also the fact that I support Linux has helped me above and beyond the sales I get directly from Linux customers -- being included in the steam linux sale (and getting bonus windows sales), etc.

Steam is pushing linux HARD. It's clear that's where they want things to go in the future. So regardless of how things look now, even if I wasn't a Linux booster, where Steam goes, I follow.

Now if only GOG would start supporting Linux :)

*For instance, Windows just freaked out on me this very morning insisting that I had a counterfeit copy, and I lost an hour talking to Microsoft support to fix it.
and
Well, 1% of our Steam sales is actually a lot more than it costs to have a game professionally ported to Linux, so it's still a net win financially! But there are many other reasons to support Linux aside from raw direct sales, and aside from the principle of supporting free software.
Better pick up the pace, GOG. You have users who want Linux, the competition is supporting Linux, developers are supporting Linux and want GOG to do the same, and cold, hard numbers are saying that despite having significantly smaller market share, Linux sales are keeping up with Mac OS sales. GOG, whatchu gonna do when all these facts hit you?
Post edited January 20, 2014 by Future_Suture
Posted January 20, 2014
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Future_Suture: Linux Game Sales Statistics From Multiple Developers. Considering how much less market share Linux has compared to Mac OS, Linux sure is keeping up!
Interesting numbers. Humble Bundle shows even higher percentage of Linux sales (for games that are released for all platforms), and their numbers are more average, since they include many games. So, as I said many times - potential demand of Linux gamers can't be measured simply by estimating global Linux desktop usage. It's pointless. 5-10% is an easy expectation for Linux gaming sales if the game is any good.
Post edited January 20, 2014 by shmerl
Posted January 20, 2014
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Future_Suture: Linux Game Sales Statistics From Multiple Developers. Considering how much less market share Linux has compared to Mac OS, Linux sure is keeping up!
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shmerl: Interesting numbers. Humble Bundle shows even higher percentage of Linux sales (for games that are released for all platforms), and their number are more average, since they include many games. So, as I said many times - potential demand of Linux gamers can't be measured simply by estimating global Linux desktop usage. It's pointless. 5-10% is an easy expectation for Linux gaming sales if the game is any good.
This becomes not more true, the more often you repeat it.

The GOL data says:
Mean = 2.8790 %
Median = 2.6750%
Std-dev= 1.7430 %

Steam says 2%
Webcounters say 2%

Humbe Indie bundles:
[22019/138813 26279/232855 34072/372399 27234/435250 41666/599004 27219/395953 30521/316282 28348/448979 34186/712914 15331/317444]

Mean = 8.20%
Median = 6.92%
Std-dev = 3.41%

Interestingly, there is a continous drop in the linux percentage over the indie bundles (bundle 1 to X)
0.1586 0.1129 0.0915 0.0626 0.0696 0.0965 0.0687 0.0631 0.0480 0.0483

The same for MacOS (bundle 1 to X)
0.2074 0.1723 0.1344 0.1132 0.1530 0.1403 0.1138 0.1195 0.1079 0.1043
(obviously this is NOT an indication on radical marketshare changes but on changing of the audience...looks like more Windows people got aware of HIB)

HIB + GOL + Steam (equally weighted)
Mean = 5.37%
Median 4.83%
Std-dev = 3.78%
Post edited January 20, 2014 by shaddim
Posted January 20, 2014
Not sure where you get your numbers from. I check it here: http://cheesetalks.twolofbees.com/humble/

And when calculating, you need to limit it to DRM-free and cross platform releases (i.e. those which include Linux builds), since HB uses "Linux" label for the users even if the sale had no actual Linux builds, but the user comes from Linux.

I already explained the logic above. DRMed releases cause a drop in Linux sales, as well as not cross platforms ones obviously. So for actual estimation you need to calculate only regular cases.

Anyway, actual numbers simply demonstrate that percentage of gamers who use Linux is higher than gamers on other OSes.
Post edited January 20, 2014 by shmerl
Posted January 20, 2014
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shmerl: Not sure where you get your numbers from. I check it here: http://cheesetalks.twolofbees.com/humble/

And when calculating, you need to limit it to DRM-free and cross platform releases (i.e. those which include Linux builds), since HB uses "Linux" label for the users even if the sale had no actual Linux builds, but the user comes from Linux.
As I said, I used only the HIB sales with linux, 1 to 10. Numbers from cheesetalks.
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shmerl: DRMed releases cause a drop in Linux sales, as well as not cross platforms ones obviously.
Why than also the MacOS percentage dropped? Should later increase because of the introduction of the familiar DRM.... (or stay at least the same)
No, the real explanation is that the percentage on the beginning was skewed and underrepresented the PC/Windows audience.
Post edited January 20, 2014 by shaddim
Posted January 20, 2014
Also, lately HB rarely sells great games in the bundles. In the past they had more of them. Most good games now are sold in the Humble Store, and I'm not sure if they publish sales statistics there. I'd be interested in that.
Post edited January 20, 2014 by shmerl
Posted January 21, 2014
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hedwards: ... The thing though is that some games here have a Linux version that the developers have made, and GOG already uses the DOS version whenever possible. Between those,it's not really comprehensible as to why they can't at least make those games available for Linux.

The amount of coding they would have to do is relatively minimal.

I think the real hang up here is that they don't want to formally acknowledge that Linux users are buying games here and not being supported. Linux users are used to that. I don't see any reason why the DOSBox games are going to work any less well on Linux than on Windows.

I respect that GOG doesn't want to sell people things they aren't supporting, but by the same token, they do need some sort of first step into the Linux world. And I think that folks here would accept that as progress. Without selling games for Linux it's really hard to say how large the market is.
That also buggers me because I thought that same thought already so often and couldn't find any good reason why not. That's why I plan to get some games from HS if they are DRM free and available on Linux. I have Windows and Linux and I don't bother which system I use but I really like to show my appreciation of shops supporting Linux also in a monetary way.
Posted January 21, 2014
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Fever_Discordia: You know which Linux distribution that I think GOG should primarily support?
SteamOS!
Yep! - have you seen the amount of companies ready to launch Steamboxes?

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/steam-machine-which-steam-box-should-you-buy--1213121

I defiantly think GOG should at least be keeping an eye on this and thinking about whether it wants to try to re-position itself as less of a competitor and more of a ally to Valve in its upcoming war with MS and Sony - PC gaming to conquer the console space in 2014!
\m/
Words of wisdom. We can only benefit from non-DRM-related friendshim move in Valve direction. And maybe cut some of GOG vs Steam trolling happening here every week.
Certainly will check SteamOS out on dual boot when it's out of beta.
Posted January 22, 2014
Free Valve Games For Debian Developers.
Posted January 22, 2014
No Linux Support seems like a weird thing to me. So many games on here have Linux versions and tons of the older games are running on Dosbox and other emulators so having a Linux installer is the only thing needed for those. Come on Gog!
Posted January 22, 2014
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grunthos64: No Linux Support seems like a weird thing to me. So many games on here have Linux versions and tons of the older games are running on Dosbox and other emulators so having a Linux installer is the only thing needed for those. Come on Gog!
Doesn't even make sense not to support Linux considering how Linux is mostly keeping up with Mac OS in game sales, despite having far less market share.
Posted January 22, 2014
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grunthos64: No Linux Support seems like a weird thing to me. So many games on here have Linux versions and tons of the older games are running on Dosbox and other emulators so having a Linux installer is the only thing needed for those. Come on Gog!
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Future_Suture: Doesn't even make sense not to support Linux considering how Linux is mostly keeping up with Mac OS in game sales, despite having far less market share.
It seems to be the platform of choice for many Indie developers and Valve. Hell Steam OS and Steam Machine almost guarantees that even the big box developers and publishers will release Linux versions of every game that sells.
Posted January 30, 2014
Any guesses on what GOG would do this year for Linux support? Options:

1. Linux support revealed before summer.
2. Linux support revealed before winter.
3. No Linux support coming.
Posted January 31, 2014
I think 3. is true.
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General discussionLinux support on GOG(1808 posts)(1808 posts)
(1808 posts)