GOG is a service that sells PC games and offers a client with community and update features, much like Steam. The difference is, GOG focuses on DRM-free games, which allowed them to come up with a scheme to lure Steam users over to their side of the online galaxy.
Today GOG announced GOG Connect. It’s a clever use of Steam’s API that lets you link one Steam account with GOG. You’ll then get DRM-free versions of Steam games you’ve purchased, rather than glorified game rentals as dictated by the Steam Subscriber Agreement and the service’s own ups and downs. They’re GOG-friendly, but GOG’s client, Galaxy, is completely optional. As PC game clients go, though, it’s pretty slick and has a few features Steam should seriously consider adopting. It’s at least worth a look.
There are, however, a few catches. For one, any link you make is permanent (no switcheroos once you’ve downloaded a haul of DRM-free games), and if you manually delete or refund a game in your Steam library, GOG can and probably will remove it from your GOG library as well. Second, the whole program is contingent on agreements with participating game publishers, and the resulting list of games compatible with GOG Connect is… not huge. Actually, scratch that: it’s downright anaemic. While GOG assures us that more games are on the way, the full list as of now is:
– The Witness
– FTL: Faster Than Light
– The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut
– Galactic Civilizations 3
– Trine Enchanted Edition
– Saints Row 2
– Shadowrun Returns
– The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
– Bit.Trip Runner
– Braid
– Breach & Clear
– Breach & Clear: Deadline
– Broken Sword: Director’s Cut
– Mount & Blade
– Project Zomboid
– Sherlock Holmes: Secret of the Silver Earring
– To The Moon
– Two Worlds
– Unreal Gold
– Unreal Tournament GOTY
– VVVVVV
– Xenonauts
So yeah, it’s a handful of pretty solid games, but just a handful. For most people, that’s probably not enough to get them to make the switch. Then again, perhaps all GOG wants to do is drum up curiosity, for people to check out their store, maybe download Galaxy. I imagine they know there’s hardly even a sliver’s sliver of a chance they will dethrone Steam, but some people might consider using both. Galaxy even allows for crossplay with Steam friends in some games, so it’s not as tall of an order as it could be.
If nothing else, this is a convenient feature for users of both Steam and GOG. As GOG put it, “You own the games, so why buy them more than once?” It’s also nice to see a company reinforcing the idea of video game ownership in these increasingly murky times of online requirements, mandatory clients and easily revoked subscriptions. Again, it’s probably not enough to turn the industry-wide tide, but I’m glad there’s someone out there offering people options.
Comments
18 responses to “GOG Now Offering Steam Users DRM-Free Copies Of Their Games”
Neat, I guess. I keep forgetting about my GOG library. Not that I play anything on steam these days either. I’m a bad gamer.
GOG is not the hero we deserve
Neat.
CONFUSE.
If I want a DRM-free version of The Witness, I have to keep the Steam copy on my hard drive? Disk space concerns from the off.
Outside of Saint’s Row 2, none of the games listed so far seem to really have traditional publishers involved with them do they?
So the recent Bethesda shooters for example, there’s a snowflake’s chance in hell they’ll be allowed in. To say nothing of the spate of retro shooter classics that could be granted a link – and just happened to have their rights tied up with Bethesda.
The sliding scale of distribution agreements isn’t new with GOG, they recently lost/decided to not re-new the rights to sell the Duke Nukem stuff I think.
This does sound enticing, but I’m fighting a losing battle (like most PC users are, probably) wanting to keep all my purchased stuff as organised as possible.
Pretty sure the delete thing refers to removing games from your Steam library completely, via refunds, etc.
If you delete game files off your HDD the games themselves are still in your library.
All this appears to do is track what you own on the account, not what you have installed.
the ‘etc’ – you can now permanently remove games/software from your Steam account.
Once done it’s gone. If you want it again you’ll need to repurchase it.
If this is true I damn well hope I can get Medal of Honor warfighter off my steam library and other games I’m ashamed I have on there
well as I prefer GOG over steam as the game is separate to the client, this is wonderful
Agreed. STEAM seems to be the smothering mother, whilst GOG is the laid-back father.
Pretty sure I remember they were honouring The Witcher 3 Steam keys when the game released.. maybe not now, but I do remember something around the time of its release like this.
I’ll take some of my steam purchases getting DRM free copies over none anyday. I like GoG, but I’ll admit Steam is my primary platform.
For it to work you need to make your Steam profile public. I’d rather not invite the crazies in.
The main reason I still use Steam is for achievements….and a convenient list for all my games so I can go through and pick ones I haven’t played through yet.
Don’t really care about DRM (I know I’m in a minority here) and I do own a handful of games through GOG but eh…cheaper prices and AUD trading would get me faster than DRM free games.
First-time-use activation DRM I don’t have a problem with.. but always-online DRM, for single player games… ergh.
I’m always online anyway. Really doesn’t bother me or affect the way I play games at all.
I also like how Steam tracks my hours played.
Until you are affected by it, you really won’t care. That’s just human nature.. when it happens to you one day, then you’ll be like, “ohhhh… this sucks!” 🙂 hehe
Not really…it happened to me once with Skyrim. So I switched Steam to offline mode and kept playing…
As a gamer with no internet at home, I am pretty excited about this! No more downloading from steam at work, putting it all on an external hard drive with a couple of carefully downloaded cracks just to play the games I have legitimately purchased.
GOG gets nowhere near the amount of praise it deserves.