GOG has changed ownership, but it didn’t have to leave the building to find its new home after being acquired by one of its co-founders. GOG (Good Old Games) has been a safe haven for DRM-free games, where users can actually download games with offline installers, essentially owning them as if installed via physical media, since 2008 (although work began in 1994). It was co-founded by Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński, who also went on to form CD PROJECT RED (The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077).
“From the very beginning, GOG has always been built on strong values and clear principles. When Marcin Iwiński and I came up with the idea for GOG, the vision was simple: bring classic games back to players and ensure that once you buy a game, it truly belongs to you — forever,”
– Michał Kiciński, GOG co-founder and owner
CD Projekt RED had previously owned GOG, but this move will allow the developer/publisher to shift its resources to game development. While both companies are said to be fiscally sound, each has its challenges, and this move is said to provide a clearer path for it. Michał Kiciński purchased GOG for PLN 90.7 million (aproximately $25.2 million USD). GOG will continue as it has, to offer a home for DRM-free games along with its game preservation program, while also maintaining a direct relationship with CD PROJECT RED to sell its titles.
“CD PROJEKT and GOG share the same roots and values: freedom, independence, and a genuine sense of ownership. I believe that CD PROJEKT, with its exceptional AAA games, will stand, as always, behind the GOG offering — making GOG the best place on the planet to purchase The Witcher and Cyberpunk games, both existing titles and the new ones we all anticipate so much,”
– Michał Kiciński, GOG co-founder and owner
CD PROJEKT RED echoed the same sentiments in that it can now put greater focus into its game development pipelines now that GOG is a separate entity.
“With our focus now fully on an ambitious development roadmap and expanding our franchises with new high-quality products, we felt this was the right time for this move, For a long time now, GOG has been operating independently. Now it’s going into very good hands — we are convinced that with the support of Michał Kiciński, one of GOG’s co-founders, its future will be full of great projects and successes. We would like to thank the GOG team for years of fruitful cooperation and wish them all the best. And to the GOG community, I say ‘see you around’, because our upcoming releases will naturally be available on GOG as well”,
Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO of CD PROJEKT
Press releases detailing the new purchase can be found on CD PROJEKT RED’s site here and GOG’s here. Congrats to both on escaping the grasp of other buyouts from outside investors who’ve wreaked havoc in the gaming industry with promises of a better future, only to dismantle historic teams while closing studios and ending popular franchises.