I liked Galaxy as an optional client, but moves like this ironically push me away from it. DRM-free is why I buy most of my games here.
I don’t want to read too much into this yet, but will definitely be taking a “wait and see” approach to the Cyberpunk release and further purchases here.
StingingVelvet: considering how Galaxy works I don't see how they could be DRM'd.
Once you download them, they should be completely offline files requiring no activation. A lot of people seem to associate any client usage with DRM, which is not the case. Cyberpunk is designed to run as a DRM free download within a client, even with zero offline installer at all it would still be DRM free because of how Galaxy works.
The FAQ on the promo page states the following:
Is MY REWARDS also available on the local version of Cyberpunk 2077 — which can be downloaded via GOG and installed separately from GOG GALAXY?
Because MY REWARDS requires an internet connection, the local version of Cyberpunk 2077 that you can download via GOG will not support MY REWARDS.
So it looks to me like it will be authenticating the content via Galaxy API calls.