Former CD Projekt head and current GOG owner reaffirms anti-DRM beliefs, criticizing corporate decision-making 14 years after Bandai Namco’s lawsuit over Witcher 2.

GOG has a new(ish) leader, with co-founder Michał Kiciński reclaiming ownership of the digital PC game store from his former company. Despite this shift in leadership, Kiciński is committed to maintaining the platform’s core philosophy, particularly its anti-DRM stance.

“This is a fundamental principle of GOG, and there are no indications that it will change anytime soon,” Kiciński states. “It’s not just an ethical stance; it’s also practical. It allows gamers to enjoy their titles regardless of the platform’s software status or their internet connectivity.”

Kiciński critiques the typical digital game purchasing model, where consumers pay full price but have rights akin to renting. When you buy a digital game, you’re essentially acquiring a license that can be revoked at any moment. While this applies to all purchases, GOG’s DRM-free installers allow users to keep backups, ensuring that access to their games isn’t entirely at risk.

“From the start, we haven’t viewed DRM as a solution to piracy, since games are often pirated almost immediately,” Kiciński explains. “We see DRM as a hindrance for legitimate customers. The only reason to maintain it is to satisfy game owners, as it’s often a requirement.”

Kiciński has dealt with publishers who push for DRM, not only while recruiting developers for GOG but also during his time with CD Projekt Red. After the release of The Witcher 2 in 2011, the developers issued a patch that completely removed DRM from the game. “We believed DRM was necessary to prevent piracy before launch,” the studio stated at the time. “Now that this goal has been achieved, we are happy to give our users the freedom they deserve.”

“Corporate decision-making can often be misguided. I experienced this firsthand with The Witcher 2, where our own publisher took legal action against us,” Kiciński recalls. The publisher at that time was Bandai Namco, which indeed sued CD Projekt Red over the removal of DRM.

“They failed to see that it wasn’t detrimental to their business since the game had already been pirated,” Kiciński adds. “They were also unresponsive to gamers’ complaints about how DRM was causing issues and slowing down gameplay.”

Kiciński acknowledges that while “Steam is winning with its ease of use,” he believes GOG can carve out its own niche by focusing on quality over quantity, stating, “We don’t release hundreds of games daily, 95% of which aren’t of high quality.”