GOG is tackling PC games preservation with new program

GOG has all the time been on the coronary heart of retro PC gaming. It has an enormous storefront with newer video games, however GOG is the place you’ll find DRM-free copies of Past Good & Evil or Silent Hill 4: The Room (that’s simply a few of what’s in my GOG library, however you get the concept). There are lots of video games you would play by GOG that might be tough to get anyplace else.

GOG, owned by CD Projekt Crimson, is capitalizing on that model with the GOG Preservation Program, which was introduced on Wednesday. Video games on this program are known as “Good Previous Video games” now on the storefront, and can be supported by GOG in as near their unique state as attainable for contemporary PCs.

“If a recreation is a part of the Preservation Program, it implies that we commit our personal sources to sustaining its compatibility with trendy and future programs,” the weblog submit announcement reads. So whereas video games at present work on Home windows 10 and 11 (no Mac or Linux simply but), the promise means they’ll even work on future PCs.

At the moment, there are 100 video games in this system, together with well-liked titles like System Shock 2, Fallout: New Vegas Final Version, The Witcher: Enhanced Version, and the unique Diablo, with extra set to be added. A number of these video games have been on the shop for some time, however this system acts as GOG’s assure that they’ll obtain updates from GOG itself, even when the unique developer has moved on, and meet sure requirements for the participant. They’re additionally DRM-free, so that you don’t have to fret concerning the license being revoked with a delisting or not having the ability to play it with out an web connection.

For instance, GOG revealed the Resident Evil Bundle earlier this yr, which featured the primary three unique Resident Evil titles for $25. GOG solely added some quality-of-life enhancements, like new rendering choices, extra localization, and controller help, and ensured it could run on trendy PCs. Principally, it’s as near the unique expertise as you may get past an emulator or an older bodily copy.

Video games preservation has been in a nasty place for some time, with corporations shutting down older shops that usually featured digital-only titles. Whereas Sony ultimately reversed its determination to shut the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita storefronts after backlash, Nintendo eliminated its Wii U and 3DS eShops for good in 2023. Whereas platforms have made enhancements on this space, with each Nintendo and PlayStation publishing retro titles on their subscription providers and Xbox supporting backward compatibility on its trendy consoles, PC hasn’t fared as effectively. Remakes are nice, however they usually can’t replicate the sensation of the unique launch.

“Sadly, the traditional PC video games market is in a sorry state. It’s too tiny for main platforms to offer it any consideration. Basic releases usually get the sell-it-and-forget-it remedy, and as time goes on and know-how evolves, compatibility points come up and stay unaddressed,” the GOG weblog submit learn.