Hello, I'm just curious where money for games bought at GOG go to. Do they reach their creators? Or just publishers? For example do the creators of Fallout 1&2 get something for games we buy? Thank you for your patient answers.

It depends on just who GOG has a contract with, and who that person or group has contracts with. In some cases the original developers have the full rights to the game and thus get all the money from a sale (minus GOG's cut). In other cases the publisher owns the full rights so the original developer sees absolutely nothing. And then there are numerous cases in between those two extremes, with pretty much every type of convoluted contract and distribution of money you can imagine.

I think every agreement (between GOG and owner of license) differs. But anyway it is GOG's business, and they do not share such infos.

Thank you for your answers. My question is answered. Although, is it possible for ownership rights to change? For example one company makes and publishes the game and then someone else buys the name (and rights to sell it?) ?

The money gets donated to puppies, babies, and rainbows.

Yes, it is possible, but new owner should respect any previous agreements till their end. Then GOG would need to sign new one with new owner.

If I remember correctly, there are a couple of examples where the developer gained back the right to sell the games from the publisher and THEN they made a contract with GOG. The two examples I'm thinking are the Age of Wonder games and Another World, though I could be wrong.

That happened with Gothic 1 as well. So far as I know, GOG is the only place where you can buy that game by itself.

I thought they are donated to those poor server gremlins, IT gnomes and pixie polices? :-)

No! What is the point of cheap labor if you give them charity?

BTW I love your avatar.

Money goes to rights-owners, like anyone else who sells these games. Simple as that.

I guess that most of the money goes directly to the stock holders of Ubisoft / Atari/ EA /1C whoever else are the big publishers on Gog while original creators were compensated a long time ago. Rest goes to the remaining few independent still existing creators.