pcgamer.com

NuXCOM_90Percent, do games w Blizzard is delisting the OG Warcrafts from GOG, but GOG says it's gonna preserve them forever anyway, hands out a discount, and announces new policy for its preservation program to boot

Friendly reminder: A “DRM-Free” game is only as preserved as the hard drive space you dedicate to it. If GoG goes down tomorrow then you are looking for torrents, same as everyone else.

That said: GoG has been doing this basically since year one (I want to say they lost and regained Interplay’s library like five times?). On the one hand, I love that I get that “hey, buy it now or never. Here is a discount code” warning. On the other hand… this feels like I would be calling it out as manipulative FOMO bullshit were it any other company.

Although… it is a pretty safe bet that MS aren’t interested in going back to GoG until the next time their online ecosystem collapses. So probably a “reasonable” bit of FOMO for those who love the SP campaigns of these games.

Anticorp,

If GoG goes down tomorrow

Or if Blizzard sues them to get the games removed.

UndercoverUlrikHD,
@UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev avatar

The game will be removed on 13. December?

However that can’t simply take away a game someone has already bought.

Anticorp,

Sure they can. Companies do it all the time.

InfiniteFlow,
@InfiniteFlow@lemmy.world avatar

Short of suing me for it (after finding out who I am and making sure I own the games), how would they do that for non-DRM games whose installer lives on my hard drive and that I can install whenever I want, wherever I want?

Is the “everything is a rental and you use it on sufferance until we say so” bullshit so ingrained now that people are no longer able to conceive of other ways for things to work?

Anticorp,

I’m specifically talking about it being hosted on GoG. I thought I made that clear.

UndercoverUlrikHD,
@UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev avatar

Games are constantly pulled from the Steam store, but that doesn’t result in owners losing access to the game, GOG is no different. The only thing that will happen is they stop selling the game, it’s standard practice.

GOG also offer offline installers that would be impossible for even GOG to take away from you.

cows_are_underrated,
@cows_are_underrated@feddit.org avatar

There are differences with buisness models. Steam sells a license to use a software. This license can be revoked. GOG sells you a copy that you can download and run any time later without needing it. They can’t take that away from you.

Don_alForno,

Since the installers are DRM free, they physically cannot. Save for breaking into your home and destroying your hard drives.

Anticorp,

I’m talking about the content on the store. If you don’t download it, then they can remove it and it’ll be gone, regardless of if you purchased it already. That said, they can still do some shady shit with content you physically have too. Sony once put a root kit on their CDs that would brick people’s computers if they tried to rip them to the hard drive.

Don_alForno,

If you don’t download it, then they can remove it and it’ll be gone, regardless of if you purchased it already.

Yes, if you don’t take possession of the goods you paid for, you are in fact not in possession of the goods you paid for.

Sony once put a root kit on their CDs

Ok. In theory they could have put in a kill switch. I’m choosing to trust they didn’t.

blind3rdeye,

It will be removed from sale on 13 of December, but everyone who already bought it will continue to be able to download it from GOG indefinitely. Furthermore, GOG has stated their commitment to ensure the game remains compatible with newer computer and operating systems. That’s what the preservation project mentioned in the post is about.

UndercoverUlrikHD,
@UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev avatar

I think you might have replied to the wrong person

blind3rdeye,

I don’t think so. On my screen I see that post I responded to said this:

The game will be removed on 13. December?

So in my post I tried to explain that the games will still be available to download from GOG, but it will no longer be purchasable. Different people mean different things when they say “removed from GOG”, so I thought this was good to clarify.

UndercoverUlrikHD,
@UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev avatar

It wasn’t really a question in that sense. What I meant by that sentence is that the game is already planned to be removed (from sale), so Blizzard suing GOG wouldn’t make much sense. However that doesn’t mean that GOG/Blizzard can just take the game away from those who already purchased it.

intensely_human,

What’s GoG?

Ullallulloo,
@Ullallulloo@civilloquy.com avatar
UndercoverUlrikHD,
@UndercoverUlrikHD@programming.dev avatar

A DRM free store that’s run by the CD Projekt Red guys. It focuses mainly on older games (Good Old Games) but it also got modern DRM free games such as Baldurs Gate 3.

If you’re buying an older game, it’s likely a better option than whatever steam offers as GOG will also try to fix old games that are broken on modern systems.

WarlordSdocy,

Yeah normally I would feel the same way about this FOMO style of marketing but normally in that case it’s the company selling it deciding to like remove it from sale to create the FOMO need. In the case it’s another company basically forcing this decision on them so I don’t think it’s bad to let people buy it for cheaper while they still can.

Glide,

On the other hand… this feels like I would be calling it out as manipulative FOMO bullshit were it any other company.

While I hesitate to type this as it might be perceived as viewing a corporation as a friend, the intent matters, and GOG has a different history than the majority of FOMO abusing game companies. Did they identify that this is probably an opportunity to push some sales? Sure, probably. But I am chill permitting them that right when they’re visibly working to remove FOMO as a commercial strategy.

NuXCOM_90Percent,

Say it with me kids: Corporations are NEVER your friends. At best you have mutual interests, for a time.

Just look back to everyone who was all in on Google because “Do no evil” and “They aren’t Apple” and so forth. Unity when they were the underdog relative to Unreal. Reddit when they were the “counter culture” social media. And so forth.

I like GoG a lot and have since they first launched. I also remember the French Monk Incident and so forth.

cmhe,

The underdog is often the one that is most pro-consumer, since that is in their business interest. As soon as the take the lead, the doors to enshittyfication open, because business shifts from getting new customers to not letting them leave. (Of course there are exceptions, but this is the case broadly)

prole,

This is true. But things aren’t black and white, there are degrees. For example, there is a big difference between private corporations, and publicly listed ones. The former at least allows for possible decency.

GhiLA,
@GhiLA@sh.itjust.works avatar

If you want something preserved, you gotta be the one to preserve it for yourself.

Encrypt it, too.

zerofk,

Which GOG makes possible by offering DRM-free and offline installers.

I know several big GOG customers download all offline installers and keep them on their own NAS. Some even keep the different versions.

Don_alForno,

A “DRM-Free” game is only as preserved as the hard drive space you dedicate to it.

You mean, just like any pre digital purchasing game that you own on disks? Or similar to any physical object you ever bought (hard drive space / shelf space), for that matter?

They’re preserving it as much as they’re able to without being a government funded museum.

NuXCOM_90Percent, (edited )

They’re preserving it as much as they’re able to

So we are giving participation awards? GoG use digital preservation as a marketing point. They aren’t doing that. And they are arguably making for a false sense of security (some might go even farther…) when people think that buying a game from a major dev and European publisher is digital preservation.

How would you feel if Crunchyroll started arguing they were the good guys because they were releasing Witch from Mercury for 100 USD?

Now for the fun part!

Or similar to any physical object you ever bought (hard drive space / shelf space), for that matter?

Yeah. As in it is “preserved” up until someone does a cross country move or merges their life with a partner who doesn’t see why you need to have every single Blizzard Battle Chest on a giant shelf in the living room.

You mean, just like any pre digital purchasing game that you own on disks?

Yes. Because bit rot is a thing and people need to be aware of that and actually preserve that data. Hmm, I wonder who could help with that…

They’re preserving it as much as they’re able to without being a government funded museum.

Good news. You don’t have to be a government funded museum. In fact, governments are kind of an active threat to these because they are in a REALLY grey area legally. And publishers (like CD Projekt…) tend to go after them both legally and not legally.

I very much disagree that just having a copy of a game is games preservation but it is part of it. And orgs like The Internet Archive are preserving both the media itself AND the media and culture about said media. And they and their associates put the legwork in to reach out to people who have those big boxes or scratched up discs and preserve things BEFORE it is time to make room for the new baby. And they don’t have fancy deals with publishers to help market for donations. They have to ask.

So if you actually care about digital preservation? archive.org/donate?origin=iawww-TopNavDonateButto…

Whereas, if you just want to spend money and react to FOMO?

Don_alForno,

So we are giving participation awards?

Huh?

Are you blaming them for not preserving things more than actual physical objects that you bought are preserved in your house? The whole root of the matter was people complaining about companies obsoleting or taking away games they paid for. What GOG is doing counters just that. It is now once again in your hands and your hands only to preserve and maintain your property, and if the data gets corrupted, you only have time, physics and yourself to blame.

I couldn’t care less about anybody creating some kind of eternal video game archive for archaeologists of the post apocalyptic world to find. I care about if I will still be able to play the games I paid money for in 30 years, provided I keep the data and hardware. How would that last part be the store’s responsibility?

NuXCOM_90Percent, (edited )

I “blame” them for marketing themselves as a “Preservation Program” when they really aren’t doing anything more than the other stores (in that regard. They are doing amazing work in modernizing some titles… which is arguably not preservation either but that is a different mess).

It’s not McDonald’s responsibility to store large amounts of data either*. So does that mean Ronny Mac should be talking about how buying a twenty dollar Big Mac is preserving video games?

*: also… it kind of IS GoG’s responsibility in this case but that only lasts until the company/site is shuttered. Which is another issue with GoG being about “preservation” when their first responsibility is to make money for CDP.

Duamerthrax,

Are complete data backups just not something people do anymore?

NuXCOM_90Percent,

For data that is “mine”? Yeah.

But the average steam library (from just asking chatgpt because i am lazy) is 30-100 games for a “normal” user and 200-300 games for an “enthusiast”. Assuming 10 GB per game on average (which is woefully small these days) and you are expecting people to spend 1-3 TB of storage on just their game installers alone. AND that is assuming none of those installers get updates and people need to figure out which ones (most of us who lived through The French Monk incident can attest to that).

So what happens is “oh, someone else will back it up” and so forth. And it means EVERYONE is grabbing torrents for Spec Ops The Line and not just the people who didn’t think to buy a copy while they could.

Duamerthrax,

If the games are DMR free, I’m including them in my regular backups. It’s that simple.

newthrowaway20, do games w Blizzard is delisting the OG Warcrafts from GOG, but GOG says it's gonna preserve them forever anyway, hands out a discount, and announces new policy for its preservation program to boot

Wasn’t Microsoft just talking about how important game preservation was to them?

justOnePersistentKbinPlease,

Its important for them to preserve any chance of profit that may be squeezed from old games.

TheLowestStone,
@TheLowestStone@lemmy.world avatar

Ah yes, the Nintendo method of preservation.

GhiLA,
@GhiLA@sh.itjust.works avatar

I have a script endlessly deleting and downloading BOTW on repeat so Nintendo experiences thousands of lost sales every few days.

Lost_My_Mind,

I mean…those aren’t lost sales exactly…but I’m sure Nintendo still doesn’t like it.

JustEnoughDucks,
@JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl avatar

Joke

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

You

(Context: Most companies including Nintendo claim that any act of piracy is a lost sale, which is completely a lie)

msage,

Dude, download it from yourself, you will make it to tens of thousands!

Bakkoda,

“No, not like that!”

Someonelol,
@Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

There’s a very crucial fact you’re forgetting about corporations who say they care about anything. They’re liars and only care about money.

CosmoNova,

I guess that must be why I can’t buy the Black & White games or Fable 2. Because Microsoft cares so much about preserving the awkward legal Loop some of their Lionhead Games are in.

PumpkinSkink,

It could be them getting ready to push a wc1 and 2 remake. Hopefully more of a D2 than a WC3…

RootBeerGuy, do games w Blizzard is delisting the OG Warcrafts from GOG, but GOG says it's gonna preserve them forever anyway, hands out a discount, and announces new policy for its preservation program to boot
@RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

I will not pay 15-ish bucks for decade old games that I already purchased long time ago at release. Also not with another buck discount off. Definitely not since they are Blizzard games and these days that studio is not worth supporting anymore.

Good initiative from GOG, but this feels like wasted money to me. Warcraft 1 is definitely a hard sell because of how terrible playing it will feel. Or did they change that in the Remaster? You used to be able to only control one unit at a time. In Warcraft 2 they upped it to 9 units? Or am I off and it was 9 units in 1 and already more in 2?

ampersandrew,
@ampersandrew@lemmy.world avatar

If you already purchased it a long time ago, and you can still get that copy working, then cool. But having a DRM-free copy designed to work with modern systems is very appealing. Buying DRM-free shows them where customers want to purchase their games. There are plenty of decades-old games worth more than $7.50 each.

ceenote,

Never played the OG, but I’ve played the remaster and you can definitely select more than 1 unit.

quirzle,

deleted_by_author

  • Loading...
  • gogoverdrive,

    It was 4 in warcraft 1, 9 in 2, increased to 9 in the remaster.

    SnotFlickerman,
    @SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

    The good thing is that thanks to how GOG works, as long as some pirate purchases a copy, they will always be able to keep a current update available to the pirate community.

    Thanks GOG, for being against DRM in games.

    RampantParanoia2365,

    So it’s wasted money because you personally already own these games.

    RootBeerGuy,
    @RootBeerGuy@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

    Yeah, I said I will not. I didn’t say no one should. I think it is great that GOG preserves them but the price is still to high for something from a scumbag company.

    How does it work with the money GOG is charging, does Blizzard see anything of that? If not, then nice, makes it more worth to me to pay so GOG gets more funding.

    If Blizzard does get a cut then GOG should give a rather hefty discount as a final “fuck you” to Blizzard. Because that’s all they deserve.

    thermal_shock,

    you could group multiple in W1. you could only build buildings adjacent to your road though, I remember making a road right to the enemy and putting the barracks in their camp lol

    icecreamtaco,
    @icecreamtaco@lemmy.world avatar

    I don’t think you understand the point of preservation. This is for future generations, and you as well if you ever lose the original CD installers

    IsThisAnAI,

    This entire preservation program is just going to end up costing them millions for dozens of people that care.

    icecreamtaco,
    @icecreamtaco@lemmy.world avatar

    If it was only dozens gog would have been shut down ten years ago

    ampersandrew, do games w Blizzard is delisting the OG Warcrafts from GOG, but GOG says it's gonna preserve them forever anyway, hands out a discount, and announces new policy for its preservation program to boot
    @ampersandrew@lemmy.world avatar

    What a bunch of scumbags.

    inclementimmigrant,

    Yeah, the Blizzard a lot of us grew up with is truly dead and gone.

    massive_bereavement,

    zug zug

    Ioughttamow,

    Me not that kind of orc

    thebigslime,

    Something need doing?

    Anticorp,

    Awe, more work?

    Lost_My_Mind,

    I can see my house!

    Klear,

    I wish I had a weapon!

    Mereo,

    People do not understand that company name means nothing. The OG people who were the heart and soul of Blizzard are long gone. Blizzard is just a name now.

    echodot,

    Absolutely but companies can retain the culture they were originally set up under if they actively work to do that.

    mnemonicmonkeys,

    Which Blizzard hasn’t done

    intensely_human,

    Orcs and Humans were put into direct conflict by the opening of a portal by evil wizards. To fight for their homeland doesn’t make them scumbags, just brave fighters doing their best to follow orders, stand in the right places at the right times, and chop down whatever stands between them and safety.

    GhiLA, (edited ) do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'
    @GhiLA@sh.itjust.works avatar

    Ah yes, gaming. That one industry you can’t really fake past a certain point or everyone will boycott, call it boring or go on strike?

    Perfect. Good decisions. Waste as much money as possible. I hope Ubisoft is in on it. Take as many shit-for-brains publishers and devs as you can gather. They forget half of the industry is wearing knee-high socks and cat ears. Propaganda games will go over like trying to sell kale to a shark.

    Furbag, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'

    AI slop coming to ruin your favorite IPs in the very near future.

    AceFuzzLord, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'

    Cannot wait for him to start putting out soon to be classic titles like “Ethnic Cleansing”, “Concentration Camp Simulator”, and “Deportation Station” to counter the woke libtards.

    /S

    ivanafterall, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'
    @ivanafterall@lemmy.world avatar

    Star Citizen to the power of Musk.

    forensic_potato, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'
    @forensic_potato@lemmy.world avatar

    Then let’s get ready for a ww2 game where you save Nazis instead of killing them. And then you shoot the American troops and call them “woke libs” /s

    ivanafterall,
    @ivanafterall@lemmy.world avatar

    Saving Private Gunther

    SpitSalute, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'

    How about we hang that fuckwad in a public forum instead?

    Clinicallydepressedpoochie, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'
    @Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world avatar

    I’ll be missed if elon starts pumping out good games. I don’t count on it but looking at the market it’s not impossible.

    GoodEye8,

    Releasing even bad games is already a feat. Considering how Musk doesn’t know how to run a web development company I would be surprised if his “game studio” releases anything. The only way that company releases anything is if Musk won’t be involved, and we know the “expert at everything” will be involved.

    iAvicenna,
    @iAvicenna@lemmy.world avatar

    I mean he already said the word AI which means he is going to likely favor output volume over the love indie devs and old companies poured into their games. So chances are very slim. Knowing him, I guess the game will be about some genius who tries to save the world and go to Mars and be the sole male responsible for repopulation. So yeah, it might turn into a Larry game which takes itself too seriously.

    ByteOnBikes,

    I loved it when Amazon, Google, and Netflix got into the gaming industry and tried to throw billions of dollars and their startup software expertise to “revolutionize” game studios.

    JakenVeina,

    He’s made it abundantly clear how much he despises the entire concept of labor, of having to pay money to people to do the things that actually make a company work. He will not be able to build a company that actually makes games with that kind of disdain for the single most important resource required to make them. And his strategy of acquiring an existing company and gutting it afterwards won’t be nearly as effective in the games industry, where you have to be continuously producing NEW content.

    shasta,

    Really? You think that behavior is any better at the existing game studios? He found an industry that welcomes his behavior

    hoshikarakitaridia, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'
    @hoshikarakitaridia@lemmy.world avatar

    Good thing I’ve always wondered “what if someone did an Activision, but worse?”

    Dogiedog64, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'
    @Dogiedog64@lemmy.world avatar
    slickgoat, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'

    The good thing about this is that all his money can’t buy a good result. Each game has to stand on its own two feet. If it costs millions to make, and still sucks, it will sink without a trace.

    ramble81, do gaming w Elon Musk says too many game studios are owned by giant corporations so his giant corporation is going to start a studio to 'make games great again'

    Just when I thought he couldn’t get any edgier with a black MAGA hat, I noticed the font he used….

    b161,

    The “yes I’m 110% a Nazi in case every other time I told you I’m a Nazi didn’t come through” font.

  • Wszystkie
  • Subskrybowane
  • Moderowane
  • Ulubione
  • Technologia
  • FromSilesiaToPolesia
  • rowery
  • esport
  • fediversum
  • test1
  • ERP
  • krakow
  • muzyka
  • shophiajons
  • NomadOffgrid
  • informasi
  • retro
  • Travel
  • Spoleczenstwo
  • gurgaonproperty
  • Psychologia
  • Gaming
  • slask
  • nauka
  • sport
  • niusy
  • antywykop
  • Blogi
  • lieratura
  • motoryzacja
  • giereczkowo
  • warnersteve
  • Wszystkie magazyny