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

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Apr 12, 2001
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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.png
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.
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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.

Article Link: GOG.com Launches Digital Indie Game Store to Compete with Mac App Store and Steam
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/20/gog-com-launches-digital-indie-game-store-to-compete-with-mac-app-store-and-steam/
BlueParadox

BlueParadox

macrumors 6502
Sep 3, 2010
306
331
Melbourne, Australia
I thought everything purchased through the Mac App Store was DRM free. I understand films and tv shows via the iTunes Store are DRM encrypted, as are apps purchased through the AppStore, but apps and games purchased via the Mac App Store are DRM free - in my experience, anyway.
 
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donutbagel

macrumors 6502a
Jun 9, 2013
932
1
BlueParadox said:
I thought everything purchased through the Mac App Store was DRM free. I understand films and tv shows via the iTunes Store are DRM encrypted, as are apps purchased through the AppStore, but apps and games purchased via the Mac App Store are DRM free - in my experience, anyway.
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No, you only get 5 licenses per purchase on the Mac App Store.

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I'm going to try and submit my old computer science class Java project, a pong game where you control the paddles with the pitch and/or volume of your voice by yelling into the microphone. Definitely not charging any money for it, and it's mostly worth it for the laughs but can be interestingly fun to play if your mic works well. I listed it as Mac and "other" even though it works in Windows.
 
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tgi

tgi

macrumors 65816
Aug 29, 2012
1,331
330
Not familiar with GOG.com, does it require a client like Steam or Origin? Or is it website downloads?
 
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crazy dave

macrumors 65816
Sep 9, 2010
1,258
931
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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tgi said:
Not familiar with GOG.com, does it require a client like Steam or Origin? Or is it website downloads?
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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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donutbagel said:
No, you only get 5 licenses per purchase on the Mac App Store.
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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
 
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0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
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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titan4

macrumors member
Jan 28, 2010
70
147
Dagless said:
...and GOG has been around and evolved way before the IOS App Store existed...
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I don't think that is true. iOS AppStore launched at July 9, 2008. I have GOG account since first week of beta and it was created at September 8, 2008.

EDIT: Ok according to Wiki GoG launched at August 1, 2008 so I am probably wrong about my first week account, but it doesn't really change the point.
 
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ArtOfWarfare

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,557
6,057
If I had a Mac Game, I'd definitely submit it to them and ask for a $50K advance...

There has to be a catch - how much can you ask for? How many copies do most of their games actually sell and how much revenue do most of them bring in? I imagine it looks like the app stores - a tiny percent receives most of the money made, and the rest make squat.
 
0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
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titan4 said:
I don't think that is true. iOS AppStore launched at July 9, 2008. I have GOG account since first week of beta and it was created at September 8, 2008.

EDIT: Ok according to Wiki GoG launched at August 1, 2008 so I am probably wrong about my first week account, but it doesn't really change the point.
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Must have had a long beta, friends were getting requests to submit their games in early 2008.
 
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pickaxe

macrumors 6502a
Nov 29, 2012
760
284
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?
 
pubwvj

pubwvj

macrumors 68000
Oct 1, 2004
1,901
208
Mountains of Vermont
My wish list for GOG:

For the Mac:
Deadlock
A-10 Attack
A-10 Cuba
All that great educational software from the 1990's like Davidson, MathBlaster, etc.

Windows:
Jane's Planes (except I really want this on the Mac too)
 
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crazy dave

macrumors 65816
Sep 9, 2010
1,258
931
pickaxe said:
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?
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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.
 
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crazy dave

macrumors 65816
Sep 9, 2010
1,258
931
Dagless said:
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.
Click to expand...

Actually they didn't add indie games until a year and half ago or so (about the beginning of 2012) and then they changed their name from Good Old Games to simply Gee-Oh-Gee. But nonetheless it has been awhile that they've supported indie games. Now they're just advertising their indie love more. So I agree the article is oddly worded about sudden competition with the MAS and Steam - although I think GOG is reckoned now on being one of the bigger distribution platforms outside of Steam/Origin/MAS (i.e. the ones supported by large companies) which obviously dwarf everyone else with Steam being the behemoth of gaming.

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ArtOfWarfare said:
If I had a Mac Game, I'd definitely submit it to them and ask for a $50K advance...

There has to be a catch - how much can you ask for? How many copies do most of their games actually sell and how much revenue do most of them bring in? I imagine it looks like the app stores - a tiny percent receives most of the money made, and the rest make squat.
Click to expand...

GOG's distribution works a little differently they only add about 2-5 games a week and advertise those heavily, run promotions, etc ... So I imagine the distribution is still skewed, but not as badly as many other app stores which accept many, many more games/apps a day. Thus they're a little more choosy when it comes to selling games (which can cause conniptions in the forums when a dev some people wanted to see was rejected). I imagine the advance is a negotiation between GOG and the dev based on how successful GOG thinks the game is going to be which they already have to be sold on at a minimum level to sell the game.
 
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