GOG remains the one digital distribution platform that seemingly cares about proper video game preservation. This isn’t free PR or a generous read of what it’s been stating since it was born; facts and numerous endeavours to save old games from being lost to time are enough to be certain the folks at the top aren’t messing around.
Recently, CD Projekt co-founder Michał Kiciński acquired the entirety of the platform, effectively taking it away from the famous game maker’s partial control. Since then, its mission statement has only become louder: People want to truly own their games even when they’re in digital format, and the works of the past, no matter their popularity, need to survive in their original forms too. GOG has even declared it won’t shy away from taking advantage of recent AI advancements in conjunction with “human judgment” if they can be safely used to “advance” its crusade.
Now, following New Blood CEO Dave Oshry’s praise for the platform during an interview for RPG Site, GOG’s X/Twitter account has once again posted a loud call to action:
“Game preservation only works if people care” is a true statement which no one should be able to argue against. No matter how much we collectively say we care about saving the old games from oblivion and true digital ownership, few things (if any) will change if we continue to grab remasters and remakes while ignoring original releases made readily available, or if we refuse to grab PC games which aren’t on Steam.
Even Oshry admitted that, as much as he loves GOG and what it does, Valve’s platform is a more pleasant one than GOG Galaxy, so there’s room for improvement which can hopefully boost GOG’s overall popularity: “I mean, GOG is great. I love their preservation efforts and everything they’re trying to do, but they need enough people to give a shit, or, how long are they even going to be around?”
GOG’s official account acknowledged both the praise and criticism, but (smartly) used this opportunity to ask people to “buy DRM-free, vote on the Dreamlist, join GOG Patrons” and continue to support “the games that shaped us.” In recent years, the company has ramped up its efforts to give players more ways to directly engage with what goes on the platform and suggest new additions.
The Patrons initiative is particularly interesting, as it allows the most passionate video game preservation fanatics to directly support GOG’s own restoration efforts, which target tune-ups and updates that make old releases (like the two original Dino Crisis) work out of the box on modern systems with improved rendering options, controls, cloud saves, and whatnot. At the time of writing, it’s 5 euros per month and also grants a number of perks like an exclusive Discord community, voting on preservation priorities, and exclusive BTS content.
