by While pretty much every digital store says you’re “buying” your games, the nasty little secret is that all you’re doing is buying a license to access a particular title. Most stores reserve the right to revoke that license if they so choose, and now that a new law in California is forcing stores to actually admit that fact, DRM-free outlet GOG is reminding PC gamers that you can live in a world where you can keep digital games.
As The Verge reported yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law that will take effect next year that effectively bans digital stores from using words like “buy” when spending money on digital goods like games, movies and music. . It’s a timely move given the global campaign for consumer rights following Ubisoft’s closure of The Crew, and it could mean companies that revoke access to purchased games will be fined for false advertising.
“If only there was a store where you could actually own your games,” GOG joked on Twitter after the news. The store, owned by Witcher and Cyberpunk parent company CD Projekt, made a name for itself by selling DRM-free versions of digital games, unlike the larger digital PC stores like Steam.
Players were quick to point out that GOG’s own user agreement makes it clear that games you buy are just licenses there, too. “When we said we were letting you ‘own’ the games,” the store said in a follow-up tweet, “we meant that no matter what happens — whether it’s licensing issues, store closures, or even a zombie apocalypse that hits you game cuts off Internet: You can still play them thanks to our offline installers. We want to make sure your gaming legacy is always in your hands, not ours.”
We’ve seen some discussions about this tweet, so let’s clarify ⬇️When we said we let you ‘own’ the games, we meant that no matter what: whether it’s licensing issues, store closures, or even tear down a zombie apocalypse your internet – you’re still… https://t.co/MBkC1P9PN2September 27, 2024
And yes, GOG is one of the few modern PC stores that let you download installers for your games, back them up, and reinstall those games whenever you want. GOG’s License Agreement do This means that it can revoke your access to re-download a particular title, but it cannot reach your computer and remove the installers that you have already deleted.
Other PC stores have a much worse track record on this sort of thing. Games purchased on Steam require the launcher, and while there is an offline mode, that’s hardly a permanent solution in the aforementioned sort of “zombie apocalypse” situation. Some Epic games work without the launcher, but not all. And both stores allow publishers to add their own – sometimes quite intrusive – separate DRM features.
So no, you don’t actually own your games on GOG either, but it’s a lot easier to hold on to them forever than the games you get on other stores. As we continue to rely more and more on the whims of digital content providers for access to our games and media, I wish other stores were willing to take more cues from what GOG can offer.
Just before Nintendo shut down the 3DS and Wii U servers, fans rallied and collected 23,000 data dumps to preserve DLC that was almost lost forever.
