There has always been a bit of a friendly competition going on between GOG and Steam. While one is a huge company devoted to minimizing the pain of DRM through a mild dose of it in the form of their client application, the other has remained true to their DRM-free beliefs and has never asked for a client to be downloaded in order to play their games. In fact, they don’t even mind you copying your installs to a DVD and archiving them. The lines between the two digital giants have been clearly drawn.
That is, until GOG announced their new client program.
Though information is a bit sparse, we do know that it is an optional install and that NO GAME on their service, either past or present (And presumably future as well), will require the client program to operate. Even after downloading and installing the client, you can go “offline” at any time and still retain full control of your games. The client is, according to GOG, used primarily for game updating, trophy achievements and “cross-play” online multiplayer with other similar clients, presumably Steam or Origin though nothing concrete has been said so far. Word is that work is already going on with both indie and AAA developers to incorporate the client within their games.
This is a big deal for GOG devotees like myself who pine for the days when Steam wasn’t so bloated. Like Xfire before it, the service started out thin and friendly but has now grown unstable and problematic, something which many of those in my friend’s list can attest to. With this client, which will (thanks to the trophy inclusion) probably contain community features like in-game chat and community building, GOG has fired what seems to be a bold warning shot at Valve’s Steam service.
Sadly, a lot of anger has erupted online over this announcement. Part of this is due to confusion and the rest seems to be due to GOG’s devoted fanbase being older and less trusting than the younger audience Steam tends to attract. This is a shame, since GOG’s “Galaxy” client feels like just the right thing at the right time for the service, which deserves to be as successful as Steam and yet seems to be unable to (At least from the forums I frequent) differentiate itself from Desura, which is gaining popularity amongst the indie and old school crowd.
No doubt we’ll hear more about this news as E3 grows near, and we’ll keep you posted on any new details as they become known.
