GOG.com to focus on "handpicked" DRM-free games amid financial losses
No more picking games up with their teeth
CD Projekt say that they're re-focusing GOG, their digital storefront, "more on its core business activity." This is in response to the store losing money - around $2.21 million year-to-date.
"Regarding GOG, its performance does present a challenge, and recently we’ve taken measures to improve its financial standing," said CD Projekt CFO Piotr Nielubowicz during a quarterly earnings call on Monday. "First and foremost, we’ve decided that GOG should focus more on its core business activity, which means offering a handpicked selection of games with its unique DRM-free philosophy. In line with this approach, there will be changes in the team structure."
The news about GOG was included in CD Projekt's third quarter financial results, as reported by GI.biz. GOG has posted consecutive losses in the first three quarters of 2021, versus steady profit in the same period last year.
This isn't the first time GOG has made adjustments to its remit. The storefront launched initially as Good Old Games, focused on reviving unavailable or difficult to obtain classic games and making them available without DRM. In more recent years, they broadened their approach to also include new games, keys for other storefronts, and a store-agnostic game launcher called GOG Galaxy. In 2019, GOG made around 10% of its staff redundant.
What "a handpicked selection of games" means in practice isn't clear. Perhaps they currently select what games to sell with their feet. Or perhaps it means being more selective and not oopsie-doopsie letting Hitman on the store when it basically has DRM.
CD Projekt also talked about their future Cyberpunk 2077 plans during the same investor blast.