GOG wants gamers to know that when buy games from it, those offline installers can never be taken away from you. GOG stands apart from the gaming digital distribution crowd in that unlike others it offers a seemingly rare and unique opportunity for gamers to buy and download their games but then keep them. This may sound confusing in the modern age but it means players do not necessarily need the internet to play once a game has been installed. Even if something, say a publisher licensing issue or server removal arises, or the game becomes no longer available to buy, the player still keeps the game.
While not completely verified, it appears that Steam may have updated a disclaimer in its cart page. The current disclaimer clearly states that players merely get a license for digital products purchased on Steam and is believed to have been updated after recent changes to Steam’s subscriber agreement.
Per Steam (via PC Gamer):
- “A purchase of a digital product grants a license for the product on Steam.”
Now while all this may seem like a water is wet type of thing it is a reminder to folks about their rights when purchasing anything from a digital distribution service, be it gaming or perhaps a video streaming service. From Steam to Epic Games Store, EA, Xbox, PlayStation, and then launchers from Rockstar, Ubisoft, and more, the number of restrictions players can find themselves with, including regional support, can be difficult to understand and GOG wants gamers to know how it stands apart from the rest as it too has updated its cart disclaimer.
Since checkout banners are trending, we're thinking of putting one up ourselves. Thoughts on this one? pic.twitter.com/d3y66PrL7Q
— GOG.COM (@GOGcom) October 11, 2024
About GOG:
Those unfamiliar with Good Old Games (aka GOG) should know that it is a subsidiary of CD PROJEKT RED, publisher of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher games. It was founded and launched in 2008 and has since gained fame for not only its DRM-free offerings but also its large catalog of older games, including many remakes and remasters.