Hey guys,
Good deal for the first Witcher, apparently down from $12 to 3.44 on Origin.
Also found it a bit cheaper on GOG for 2.19, however I have no experience with GOG and have no idea what their client is like. Despite what people say I like and prefer Origin.
Here's the GOG link:
http://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher
Enjoy!
I see, I never really had any issues with Origin, however it's good to have a few alternatives to Steam. Might give GOG a try someday.
Origin isn't bad but GoG is less intrusive.
Ahhh that's good to hear, they understand we don't want to be disturbed while playing. Hopefully the rest keep this in mind.
On GOG you just download it and play it. You don't need a "Client" at all. That's because all games on GOG are DRM free.
There is absolutely no reason to purchase this on origin instead of gog.
I see, what happens if you uninstall it or move to another machine. The think I like about clients is you never have to worry about moving machines or keeping install data. Really convenient and safe.
What part of DRM-free don't you understand?
Steam/Origin/UPlay is DRM.
The installers you download from GOG.com are just that, installers. It is the entire game in a self-extracting executable.
They don't phone home to activation servers, they don't require Internet connections, they don't need serials or product keys. No strings attached.
They just install. And install. And install. On any compatible platform. As many times as you want.
If you somehow lose them, you can download them again. And again. And again.
GOG.com cares not how or where you use the installers. I know, this is shockingly libertarian in today's era of Spyware DRM, always-online-everything, limited activations and heavy-handed EULAs.
Wow I had no idea, that is pretty crazy in today's Era. What's stopping anyone from distributing the installer to friends, it's pretty much the entire game for free. It's interesting how gog has managed to convince publishers to allow such a way. But good for the people who just want the game and nothing else. Thanks for explaining it to me buddy!
@Zylam Marex: Nothing's stopping them.
The thing is - it's easy to pirate games anyway. If you don't want to pay for it, you don't have to. DRM punishes the people who pay and doesn't prevent the piraters from pirating.
A definitely agree, the Pirates ruin games in general. I remember how the PSP hacking ruined the ego system, games had little meaning to them when you could just load up 5 in a memory card. Same thing with the PS3, the day it got hacked, we had to get mandatory updates in order to play online. It's understandable but unfortunate. I shouldn't be one to talk as when I was young I used to use pirated games for years. Thankfully I can afford them now and so much happier that I'm supporting the developers.
I guess pc piracy is part of the ego system as you've said, they know it will happen and maybe that's why console gaming is pushing further ahead, brings in more money for the developers.
What's stopping anyone from distributing the installer to friends, it's pretty much the entire game for free. It's interesting how gog has managed to convince publishers to allow such a way.
When GOG.com first started, they really did live up to the "Good Old Games" name and it was almost exclusively a digital distribution system for retro-gaming and nostalgic titles from the 1980s and 1990s. Much of the games GOG had and continues to distribute were developed/published by companies that are no longer operating and collecting revenue from those games, are in a state of abandonware or copyright limbo and are basically too obscure, forgotten and unsuccessful commercially to warrant much interest from IP-lobbyists or legal firms (whose pirating Silent Hunter II?). Many of them also never had DRM to begin with or had DRM which no longer worked as intended, and was simply removed (e.g. some old games that required you to look up and enter keywords in a manual). I sincerely doubt even the original rights holders care what happens to 90% of those old games or if they're pirated.
Heck even staunchly pro-DRM giants like EA have gone and released old titles like Red Alert 1 and 2 for free now; at some point it seems, developers and publishers realise a game either gets so old or so widespread that all the money to be made from it has already been made and you may as well give it out for free (at the very least it'll generate interest in newer games from that same developer/publisher).
When it comes to modern games, which GOG.com is still very slowly adding to its catalogue, the big publishers who have agreements with GOG (Ubisoft, Activision, EA, Bethesda) also have their own digital distribution services like UPlay or Origin and have agreements with other distribution services, and the majority of their sales are done through normal retail channels.
The incentive for them to licence games on GOG.com is simply to offer choice to consumers who would not ordinarily buy their games or perhaps pirate them, due to an anti-DRM or anti-Triple A stance. So they're actually earning sales that would otherwise be lost by sacrificing DRM for a small niche demographic. It's not like DRM has ever made a dent in piracy and publishers know this; DRM is hardly about piracy anymore, and far more concerned with data collection on gaming consumer's habits and behaviours, targeted advertising and ad revenue and tightening control over IP.
While I think you won't ever see Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops or Starcraft 2 on GOG, as those games cannot function without DRM due to being inherently Internet/Multiplayer-centric, more and more prominent games will make it to GOG because the market sales data has shown gamers will actually part with their hard-earned money when they feel it's worth it and for many gamers, the concept of absolutely no-DRM and no bullsh*t restrictions is something they're willing to pay a little extra for.
The only developers who could really be hurt by some massive abuse of GOG.com's DRM-free philosophy from a fiscal point of view are indie devs, but indie devs have such loyal followers and good relationships with their fanbase that they never really feel the effects of piracy anyway and still make more than enough revenue to be successful. Not to mention, even indie games are becoming so mainstream that they're all over Steam these days anyway.
To be clear: you do see GOG.com versions of games on Torrent websites from time to time. But GOG.com is gaining more market share and generating more sales year after year (in fact it's second to Steam in digital distribution platforms), which proves that while people will abuse the good-hearted nature of GOG's philosphy, there are far more gamers out there who deeply care about the negative effects of DRM and want to vote with their wallets as to what they feel the future of gaming should be like. GOG is basically a middle finger to the pro-DRM stance of big publishers and the more people behind that stance, the more the big publishers will soften their DRM strategy once they see it becomes less and less profitable.
If you buy this game on origin it mightttttt be possible to redeem it on GOG too.
You can try it here: https://www.gog.com/witcher/backup
I don't have the game on origin so I can't test it out.
Nice, I got it on Origin, I've looked at the game in Origin and all I can see is a product code, No cdkey? I tried the product code in your link however it hasn't taken it as valid.
Naw the product key is not the same thing. I'm not sure how you would get the cdkey though. sorry
Yea I searched on Google and all I can find is mention of product code for origin. Perhaps if you buy from a different source that isn't origin they provide the key features redemption on original/steam etc.. Those keys probably work on gog. Thanks for the link anyway!
Didn't realise I could redeem it on GoG as well until I read this post. Bought Witcher: Enhanced Edition US$1.49 and Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition US$2.99 from Steam.
![The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - $3.44 - [PC Origin] or $2.19 GOG.com [PC]](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/77/217377.jpg?h=93075385)
GoG > Origin