Good Old Games Re-Launches, Today
The closure of Good Old Games was nothing more than a publicity stunt promoting the official launch.
As predicted, the "closing" of digital distribution service Good Old Games (GOG) was merely a marketing stunt to prepare gamers for the service's official launch. Previously the website was taken down and replaced with a message from the team announcing that it could no longer continue in its present state. GOG had actually been labeled as "beta" since it was launched by CD Projekt back in 2008.
But the supposed "closure" was somewhat abrupt and left many disappointed and wondering if the service was down for the count. However now the message has been replaced with a strange apology from the team. "First of all we would like to apologize everyone who felt deceived or harmed in any way by us closing down GOG.com without any warning and without giving access to your games," the site current reads. "We apologize for that from the bottom of our hearts!"
Now it's a question of whether previous consumers will even return given the nature of its previous "closure." As Neoseeker reports, the halt in service was partially a prank, and partially due to a limited marketing budget. The team is already aware that work needs to be done to regain consumer trust.
So what doesl the new GOG offer? A virtual conference held by CD Projekt revealed a new design, new features, and the upcoming release of Baldur's Gate for $9.99--complete with the expansion and extra content. Other RPGs with the Dungeons & Dragons license will be arriving to the DRM-free platform as well. To learn more, check out the two videos listed on GOG's front page (one of which appears below).
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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jhansonxi Baldur's Gate is too old to be interesting. Baldur's Gate Trilogy and related mods would be a lot more compelling.Reply -
guruofchem Well, at least they aren't really gone, and I suspect the attention the stunt drew will outweigh the short-term angst experienced by those who already used the service. I like the idea a lot, and hope it will be successful going forward...Reply -
Dirtman73 I had a moment of panic when the rumor mill was saying a buyout from Valve was the reason for the temporary shutdown. GOG is a great service, and a Valve takeover would have meant GOG's catalog would be reduced to DRM material for the most part. As much as I love Steam, it's just another form of DRM.Reply
GOG is how the digital download business should work. -
killerclick I think it's legal to download computer games that are more than 50 years old. So wait until 2049 and Baldur's Gate is yours for free.Reply -
cinergy jhansonxiBaldur's Gate is too old to be interesting. Baldur's Gate Trilogy and related mods would be a lot more compelling.Reply
Place is called Good Old Games you doofus. Go Steam and buy new games if eye candy is all you want. -
Hupiscratch Have someone here played Time Commando? I was a kid when I played it, and in my memories it was cool.Reply -
gsacks Those videos on the site were HORRIBLE! They should have played it straight. I've never used the service and am intrigued, but the videos left me with the distinct impression that these guys are 2nd rate at best.Reply