GamesSteamValve reminds Steam users they don’t actually own a darn thing they buy, GOG pounces and says its games “cannot be taken away from you” thanks to offline installersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSteamValve reminds Steam users they don’t actually own a darn thing they buy, GOG pounces and says its games “cannot be taken away from you” thanks to offline installersWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
A subtle change has arrived to the Steam shopping experience to drive home the fact that you’re buying a gamelicenserather than a copy of a game that you’ll definitely own forever, and rival storefront GOG already seems to be weighing in on the matter.
Needless to say, this new message on Steam has already caused quite a stir, so much so that it’s seemingly reached the ears of rival storefront GOG. GOG is famously free of digital rights management (DRM), and offers its customers offline installers for the games it sells which you can download onto your PC where they can remain safe forever, so it’s understandable that the site might have some thoughts on all this.
“Since checkout banners are trending, we’re thinking of putting one up ourselves,” atweet posted on the official GOG Twitteraccount reads. “Thoughts on this one?” The concept banner in question says: “A purchase of a digital product on GOG grants you its Offline Installers, which cannot be taken away from you.”
As was pointed out as recently as September when GOG weighed in on the upcoming California law, however, it’s worth noting that GOG does, in fact, sell licenses to games much like other storefronts. With that said,it clarified at the time: “When we said we let you ‘own’ your games, we meant that no matter what happens – whether it’s licensing issues, storefronts shutting down, or even a zombie apocalypse cutting off your Internet – you’ll still be able to play them thanks to our offline installers. We want to ensure your gaming legacy is always in your hands, not ours.” With that in mind, there’s no doubt many would argue that it’s a better deal than what Steam offers.
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