CD Projekt RED, Steam, SteamOS, and exclusives

[orblivion]

You may want to read this article, it will explain a lot to you about CDPR's history, and about the relationship between the various companies:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-06-seeing-red-the-story-of-cd-projekt

Thanks for the link

I will read it when I get a chance. Like I said in my previous post, I would be happy to be wrong about this, I am just skeptical.

 

[Blothulfur]

I'll say one thing the Steam fanatics are a fucking weird bunch. Had one accusing me and a few other folk of being conspiracy theorists, simply because we didn't buy into Steam and game journalism, accusing us of believing in aliens and all kinds of shit! Really fucking pathetic and totally out of the blue.

 

[ryannberg]

I don't agree with your view OP.

I like Steam much better then GOG for many reasons like largest catalog of games, cheap prices with awesome sales, community features like Screenshot sharing, user profiles, friend feeds, messaging, chat, and more, periodic Steam sales that offer some of the best games available at throwaway prices, support for non Steam Games too, showcase for indie games, buy a game once and it runs on any OS you may own.

I hope W3 & Cyberpunk2077 will be exclusively on Steam.

W3 is not going to be exclusive to Steam. But it will be available for Steam.

 

[volsung]

I'll say one thing the Steam fanatics are a fucking weird bunch. Had one accusing me and a few other folk of being conspiracy theorists, simply because we didn't buy into Steam and game journalism, accusing us of believing in aliens and all kinds of shit! Really fucking pathetic and totally out of the blue.

Of course, if you don't like what everybody else likes you must be a tin foil hat conspiracist. I mean, dee-arr-emm? what are you talking about? Corporations want the best for us! That's why everything should be released for Steam on Windows only. Like those Linux users... hackers all of them!

Oh and about the topic at hand... I don't really know where this is going. So I'll just say DRM or not Steam right now understands the importance of offering multiplatform games, while GOG is stuck in an old mentality. I'm all for DRM-free, and I'd rather pay a bit more for a DRM-free version, but I also want the multiplatform version. Both Steam and GOG.com have a lot to learn, so please no exclusives.

 

[pomor]

To me Windows is much worse than DRM. I would like to see GOG support on SteamOS - I hope it will happen.

No. There is nothing, absolutly nothing worse then Steam. As far as gamming distibution is concerned, that is. It is decline incarnated. One big spyware program. Give me Origin any day, wile I am not fond of it, compared to Steam is quite a nice system.

And don't get me started about "SteamOS", the most recent Valve's attempt to destroy PC gaming.

 

[cdred]

No. There is nothing, absolutly nothing worse then Steam. As far as gamming distibution is concerned, that is. It is decline incarnated. One big spyware program. Give me Origin any day, wile I am not fond of it, compared to Steam is quite a nice system.

And don't get me started about "SteamOS", the most recent Valve's attempt to destroy PC gaming.

It's up to EA (or GOG, Ubisoft, etc.) if they want to support Linux. Valve or SteamOS doesn't prevent that.

SteamOS is just open platform for gaming unlike for example Windows or OSX. Valve is pushing games more multiplatform and provides game developers a way to distribute their products.

What's the problem?

------------------------

Btw. there's interesting debate going on about Debian's upcoming default init system (SteamOS is based on Debian).
Here's Spotify's take: tech-ctte: Decide which init system to default to in Debian.
Administrator from CERN: https://lists.debian.org/debian-ctte/2014/01/msg00292.html

It could be possible that SteamOS would use systemd as default in future as well. Naturally users are able to use any init system they want.

 

[secondchildren]

Isn't it clamored on the internet that gog.com is the second biggest? At least that is what I read somewhere about a year ago.

Yes, but "internet is for porn". Not very reliable until we don't have source and numbers. I'm afraid the latter only lies in the hands of gog\steam beaurocrats.

Like me I have lots of money I can wait for sales but I will never purchase video games on discounts or on sales or for free or in bundles I will purchase video games separately and the highest I will pay for video games is $50 dollars (USD) not $50.99 dollars (USD), $51.00 dollars (USD) or $60 dollars (USD) that is just to much. I believe $50 dollars (USD) for video games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077 is enough and $15 dollars (USD) for a video games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and quite a few indie video games is enough as well.

Good for you then. But unfortunately the majority isn't as lucky as you which consequentially makes Steam successful in front of the others (when they lunch giveaways and bundles).

I'll say one thing the Steam fanatics are a fucking weird bunch. Had one accusing me and a few other folk of being conspiracy theorists, simply because we didn't buy into Steam and game journalism, accusing us of believing in aliens and all kinds of shit! Really fucking pathetic and totally out of the blue.

You aren't? Boy, I was starting to like you as a conspirator... />
Any kind of fanatics anyway is simply hateful.

Oh and about the topic at hand... I don't really know where this is going. So I'll just say DRM or not Steam right now understands the importance of offering multiplatform games, while GOG is stuck in an old mentality. I'm all for DRM-free, and I'd rather pay a bit more for a DRM-free version, but I also want the multiplatform version. Both Steam and GOG.com have a lot to learn, so please no exclusives.

I agree. It's a bit controversial (imo) sticking around DRM free games and playing them on Windows\Mac OS.

 

[MrMida]

Fraq DRM SteamOS..

GOG should create similar UI software to what Steam is using, with links to community, friends online, library or your games, screenshot capture, comments section, player profile etc.

So you want GoG to be exactly like Steam?

No, thanks.

 

[ryannberg]

So you want GoG to be exactly like Steam?

No, thanks.

That is one of the biggest reasons why I love Steam, all the added value features that come with it. No on else has competed against that. I am not the kind of gamer that says "No Steam, no Buy" ,but I will always prefer to buy from Steam than anywhere else. Witcher 3 will be the exception, because I want the physical collectors edition.

Anyways as to the topic at hand. It would not be in the best interest of CDP to make Witcher 3 exclusive to GoG for digital distribution. As is Witcher 2 had 80% of its digital sales go through Steam, 16% through GoG. GoG doesn't have the market penetration that Steam has, nor does CD Project have the market penetration that EA has. They would be shooting themselves in the foot if they did the OP idea.

 

[ryannberg]

Isn't it clamored on the internet that gog.com is the second biggest? At least that is what I read somewhere about a year ago.

Maybe you are getting confused with the statement that showed GoG was the number 2 seller for Witcher 2 digital release?

 

[MrMida]

That is one of the biggest reasons why I love Steam, all the added value features that come with it. No on else has competed against that. I am not the kind of gamer that says "No Steam, no Buy" ,but I will always prefer to buy from Steam than anywhere else. Witcher 3 will be the exception, because I want the physical collectors edition.

Whether it has value is in the eye of the beholder. When I play DotA 2, I turn all that crap off. I don't see the point of turning GoG into another Steam clone. It just means taking away their unique selling point, which is DRM-free games.

 

[Blothulfur]

I've got to admit i'm a bit of a hypocrite, i've got a Steambox in my kitchen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVcUO87yA6M

 

[ryannberg]

Whether it has value is in the eye of the beholder. When I play DotA 2, I turn all that crap off. I don't see the point of turning GoG into another Steam clone. It just means taking away their unique selling point, which is DRM-free games.

Not sure how it would take away from being DRM-Free. And lets be honest here, most gamers probably don't even care one way or another about DRM anyways. As long as they can play their games, they probably don't give a rats arse if they have to enter a CDkey and have it verified by some server. I mean if generally people actually cared about DRM, Steam probably wouldn't be where it is at now.

 

[Blothulfur]

News just in, now that Newell bastard and his monopolising company are moving in to transpotation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQV8GJL2H4Q

Damn can't think of owt else!

 

[MrMida]

Not sure how it would take away from being DRM-Free. And lets be honest here, most gamers probably don't even care one way or another about DRM anyways. As long as they can play their games, they probably don't give a rats arse if they have to enter a CDkey and have it verified by some server. I mean if generally people actually cared about DRM, Steam probably wouldn't be where it is at now.

Maybe because you need to sign in online or jump through hoops to get it to work offline every time you wanna start a game?
Yes, I know. People are idiots. But because according to you 'most people probably don't care' companies like CDP Red should stop selling games DRM-free? The fact that GoG.com still exists proves there is a market.
And by the way, DRM these days goes far beyond entering a CD key and have it verified by some server.

 

[ryannberg]

Maybe because you need to sign in online or jump through hoops to get it to work offline every time you wanna start a game?
Yes, I know. People are idiots. But because according to you 'most people probably don't care' companies like CDP Red should stop selling games DRM-free? The fact that GoG.com still exists proves there is a market.
And by the way, DRM these days goes far beyond entering a CD key and have it verified by some server.

Doesn't mean that a Steam like program that GoG could make would be doing that as well. GoG could make a program like Steams with all the bells and whistles, without effecting the DRM-Free in anyway shape or form. Heck, even right now I have games on my Steam library that don't even need Steam running at all to play because they do not have Steam Works added to them. So GoG could just their system work the same way, no need to run their GoG program to play the game if you do not want to.

Also, I never said that they should stop selling games DRM Free, just that most people don't even care. Also, one of the biggest reason why GoG is around is because you can buy really old games and have them work on modern day machines with ease.

I have never needed to do more than just enter a CD key in and have some server verify it.

 

[MrMida]

Doesn't mean that a Steam like program that GoG could make would be doing that as well. GoG could make a program like Steams with all the bells and whistles, without effecting the DRM-Free in anyway shape or form.

If it were optional I wouldn't object to it, although I think their time could be better spent.

 

[cdred]

Valve is going to release their OpenGL tracer/debugger VOGL under open source license.

Rich Geldreich: "We're going completely open source"

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

cdred: That's good news, I was waiting for the update on their OpenGL debugger. Great to see it's going to be open.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Source please?
Gog can't compete with Steam until they keep releasing old games.

They already compete, though I'd say they are doing a bad job at it (they move way too slowly, and Humble Bundle beats them more than often in most aspects already). They aren't focused on old games only since their rebranding step (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOG.com#Rebrand_to_gog.com).

About "second biggest", see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOG.com#Market_share I can't vouch for that, but at least looking at their catalog, they do appear to be second biggest. I suspect Humble Bundle will overtake that at some point, if GOG will be lagging with Linux support.

In the Christmas giveaway bundle Steam released latest title games like Tomb Raider, Batman Origin, Bioshock Infinite... even at -80%\-85%. It DOES have an impact on customers.

All of which are polluted with DRM garbage. GOG is not aiming for DRMed games. So, you should compare what's actually comparable.

You can't find the latest releases in GOG, other than a few indie games (and Witcher, of course). GOG's niche is DRM-free nostalgia. Steam's schtick is new releases + social media.

I'd correct that. GOG's niche is good DRM free games, period. The fact is, the gaming industry is undergoing a key transition now - new studios and publishers are changing the way games are developed and published, but legacy publishers are still numerous.

As known, legacy publishers are too crooked, or stupid, or simply have too much inertia, so they'll stick with DRM for foreseeable future. New ones don't use DRM, and it doesn't mean that their games have small budgets. Check out inXile and Larian for example. They are innovative and their budgets aren't for toy projects. But their games are all coming DRM free. This tendency will grow, and with it, GOG will have more and more new games proportionally.