The recent announcement of GOG's Preservation Program has sparked extensive community discussion, revealing both enthusiasm for classic game preservation and concerns about the platform's execution of its DRM-free mission. While GOG aims to revitalize its commitment to preserving classic games, community feedback suggests a complex landscape of challenges and opportunities.
Platform Competition and User Experience
Steam's robust Linux support through Proton and convenient features like game streaming have created tough competition for GOG. Despite GOG's commitment to DRM-free gaming, many users report shifting their purchasing habits based on practical considerations. The convenience factor has become a significant deciding factor, with some long-time GOG supporters now split between platforms.
Platform Statistics:
- Classic games represent 20% of GOG's catalog
- Mac support: 34 titles
- Linux native support: 19 titles
Developer Support and Second-Class Treatment
A particularly contentious issue emerging from the community is the apparent second-class treatment of GOG customers by some game developers. Users report experiencing delayed patches, limited mod support, and missing features compared to Steam versions. This has led to the creation of community resources, including a publicly maintained spreadsheet tracking games that provide inferior support on GOG compared to other platforms.
I've been burnt more than I should by developers who then forgot that this platform exists and go all in on their Steam customers: cross play? That's for Steam. Announcement of mods support? ... on Steam Workshop!
Key Community Concerns:
- Delayed patches compared to Steam versions
- Limited mod support
- Missing cross-play features
- Inconsistent achievement implementation
- Delayed changelog updates
- Variable technical support response times
Technical Support and Game Compatibility
Community members have expressed skepticism about GOG's track record with technical support and compatibility fixes. Some users point out lengthy delays in addressing basic issues, such as a five-year wait for fixing language-specific game intros. However, GOG's DRM-free approach continues to be valued for its preservation aspects, allowing users to maintain complete control over their game files without requiring platform authentication.
Future Outlook
While the community generally supports GOG's renewed focus on classic game preservation, there's a clear desire for more concrete improvements in both technical support and developer relations. The success of this initiative may depend on GOG's ability to address these underlying concerns while maintaining its core value proposition of DRM-free gaming.
Source Citations: GOG's Preservation Program is the DRM-free store refocusing on the classics