GOG.com Launches Digital Indie Game Store to Compete with Mac App Store and Steam

Tuesday August 20, 2013 9:30 PM PDT by Husain Sumra
GOG.com, an online game store that sells vintage titles, has debuted (via TUAW) a new indie game portal to sell indie games to Mac and Windows users, much like the Mac App Store or Steam.

The new portal will not only use the GOG.com staples like DRM-free games and "one world - one price" thinking but also offer additional incentives to developers to entice them to release their games on the new publishing platform.

GOGstore
While developers will be able to use traditional revenue splits like the 70/30 developer/publisher that Apple offers for the Mac App Store, they will also be able to opt to receive their royalties in advance. In that situation, GOG.com offers money upfront and then initiates a 40/60 revenue split until the initial payment is returned. Once the advance has been paid off, the revenue sharing model returns to a 70/30 split.

GOG.com also promises to "never leave [developers] without feedback," stating that developers will receive detailed information on game review processes and explanations for rejected apps. The company also promises that each title published will receive a "dedicated cross-media" campaign.
Every time we release a game on GOG.com, it gets a dedicated cross-media marketing campaign. It becomes our site's main feature, with an extra-large header banner and a frontpage news article. We'll also promote the release of your game to thousands of our social media followers (on  Facebook, Twitter and Google+, etc.). We'll post your game's trailer on our YouTube channel and feature it in our weekly video editorial.
GOG's feedback policies appear to be aimed at developers who have complained about the lack of feedback or lack of marketing push in the Mac App Store or Steam.

GOG.com previously released vintage PC games on Windows machines, but has also begun releasing classic PC games on the Mac in recent years. Independent game developers wanting to submit their games to GOG.com can do so on the indie portal website.

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crazy dave
72 months ago
It should be noted that GOG.com started selling indie games for Mac and Windows awhile ago (hence the formal name change from Good Old Game to simply Gee-Oh-Gee or Gawg.com). What's changed is the process of submitting games to GOG - that there is a new portal to do so.

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Not familiar with GOG.com, does it require a client like Steam or Origin? Or is it website downloads?


It does not require any client. It has an optional downloader in addition to the option of browser-based downloads. GOG.com is a great service. If they have games you are interested in, try the store out. Highly recommended.

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No, you only get 5 licenses per purchase on the Mac App Store.


Mac App Store allows as many copies as you have Macs.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4461?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

and the DRM is a little different from client-based systems like Steam and Origin

http://www.macworld.com/article/1157018/appstore_licensing.html
Rating: 3 Votes
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crazy dave
72 months ago

Set "System" to Mac OS X and couldn't stop laughing. Are these publishers seriously expecting people to pay 10 bucks for ports of 15-22 year old PC games? These games are basically being spread online freely (and almost legitimately) as 'abandonware' at this point. Why would anyone pay for a straight port such a this?


Abandonware is not in fact legal ... this is. That's the point. Most abandonware sites take the games off their own sites and link to GOG when they become available on GOG. GOG also does technical support for these titles for compatibility issues between old games and modern OSes. These are the same prices they are selling for the PC version.
Rating: 2 Votes
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joeconvert
72 months ago
Great news. Love GOG and their entire concept.
Rating: 1 Votes
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Dagless
72 months ago
This is a very bizarrely worded article. Why bring up that they're trying to compete with Steam and MAS? There are many bigger distribution platforms (Gamersgate, Desura, Impulse/GameStop etc), and GOG has been around and evolved way before the IOS App Store existed. All they're doing is clarifying their position on indie games - which they supported in 2008 I believe, added new payment plans and gave the site a lick of paint.
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