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Feral Interactive have no plans to put their Linux ports on GOG

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Recently, GOG added the Windows version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown to their store and since it has a Linux version on Steam, I reached out to the porter to see about their plans for the Linux version.

We've seen a lot of speculation in the past, with people wondering if Feral Interactive will ever get their Linux ports onto a store other than Steam. Here's their official stance, which they sent me this morning:

We don't have any plans to distribute our games through GoG. If this changes, we'll make announcements through our usual channels. 

We can speculate all we like as to why they're not doing it, even if the decision does strike me as a little odd. Hopefully they will reevaluate this stance in future, considering it's not exactly a new game and the Linux port from 2014 isn't exactly new either.

A shame for everyone who prefers their games on GOG.

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221 comments
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PublicNuisance Jun 18, 2018
Quoting: Linas
Quoting: PublicNuisanceDo you seriously not know of other games that have released a Windows version on GOG but not the Linux or Mac versions? Are you truly that uninformed?
I was under impression that we were talking about games from Feral Interactive.

Quoting: PublicNuisanceDying Light, Metro 2033 Redux, Metro Last Light Redux, Alice VR, Mafia III, Mafia II, that's all literally what came to mind in a matter of seconds and not a full list.
I also talked about how GOG is not a particularly inviting platform for Linux users or developers.

Sorry, but I am not sure what you mean by Mafia games. They are not on Linux at all, aren't they?

Feral developed the Mac version of Mafia II. My posts have reflected Mac and Linux games because it shows a consistent behavior of platforms other than Windows being kept off DRM free stores by a wide range of publishers and developers. This isn't a Feral problem so much as it is simply a problem that exists and needs to be dealt with. Everyone is too caught up with who should be blamed that few are actually wanting to deal with the issue.
Luke_Nukem Jun 18, 2018
Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: bgh251f2I would believe that's because there's no clear way to know if a game bought on GOG is being played on Linux, so it would be hard to make the division of profits. The fact that there's no client can't be helping either.
You may very well be right on that one. I would be surprised though, if GOG didn't have some way of tracking it

I'd expect them to track downloads for games - the safest indicator there is (mostly). Someone who games on Linux or macOS isn't going to be downloading the Windows versions.
tonR Jun 18, 2018
I'm just "parked" here to subscribe the comments. Still on vacation. :D
johndoe Jun 18, 2018
Quoting: Avehicle7887In my opinion there's the most important thing - Ownership.

Games that require Steam running to play are more of a longtime lease than something you actually own. I buy my games DRM-Free because I can play them anytime and anywhere without depending on any service.

What will you do with all your collected games in ten years when no Linux distro ships the old libs it needs to run?
Sure there are some great games that can be played/replayed many times. But these ones normally get remastered at some point of time.
I personally think it's a waste of time and resources to collect games for longer than "a long time lease".
adamhm Jun 18, 2018
Quoting: johndoeWhat will you do with all your collected games in ten years when no Linux distro ships the old libs it needs to run?
Sure there are some great games that can be played/replayed many times. But these ones normally get remastered at some point of time.
I personally think it's a waste of time and resources to collect games for longer than "a long time lease".

It shouldn't be too big an issue as long as the games are developed well... lots of older Linux games still work now without too much fuss. Plus GOG maintain the games they sell to get & keep them working on modern systems; it's been one of their key selling points right from the very beginning, back when they were "Good Old Games". And then there are also things like Flatpak that can help where dependency conflicts exist.
johndoe Jun 18, 2018
Quoting: adamhmIt shouldn't be too big an issue as long as the games are developed well... lots of older Linux games still work now without too much fuss. Plus GOG maintain the games they sell to get & keep them working on modern systems; it's been one of their key selling points right from the very beginning, back when they were "Good Old Games". And then there are also things like Flatpak that can help where dependency conflicts exist.

You are right at some point.
Steam does the same.
Developers also - ship needed (often older) libraries with their games.
But this will stop at some point of time.
Libraries depend on other libraries and so on. Some libraries depend on a specific major kernel, some depend on scripts.
In the end you will end up collecting games, old libraries to preload, wrapper scripts and maybe some virtual machines of old linux distros.
Every software/game has EOL/Support.
It makes more sense to play games when they are new and active.
Hamish Jun 18, 2018
Quoting: johndoeIt makes more sense to play games when they are new and active.
What a horrifyingly narrow world you must live in if the only games you feel comfortable playing are new. I don't know about you, but I fully intend to still be playing the games I buy today for at least as far into the future as the childhood favourites I still find myself coming back to year after year. That is why anything that is specifically designed to block me from doing so is completely unacceptable to me.

Technical challenges can be overcome. DRM legally cannot.


Last edited by Hamish on 18 June 2018 at 11:55 pm UTC
Shmerl Jun 19, 2018
Quoting: johndoeBut this will stop at some point of time.

Linux is FOSS, so in the worst case you can take older distros and run them in virtual machine or container for this purpose.

Quoting: johndoeEvery software/game has EOL/Support.
It makes more sense to play games when they are new and active.

Tell it to ScummVM or DosBox developers, and they'll have a laugh.


Last edited by Shmerl on 19 June 2018 at 1:45 am UTC
TheSHEEEP Jun 19, 2018
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Quoting: johndoeI personally think it's a waste of time and resources to collect games for longer than "a long time lease".
Yeah, I also don't get the problems people have with Steam.
"You need to have Steam open and running to play the games!" - So I open Steam and run the game. No problem here. In addition to an inbuilt chat, I also get an inbuilt browser, community, workshop... all of which is optional, of course.

"You will lose all your games if Steam dies!" - So I will purchase them again somewhere else, I'm not living on fumes, I can do that for the <5% of games I actually have an interest in playing again. Let's be honest, over 90% of games you play exactly once, what good does it do you to own those after that? Nothing.

"Steam spies on you!" - :rolleyes: :tinfoilhat:

"You need to be online to play your Steam games!" - Uhm... no?

"I don't like Steam simply because they are so big!" - Oh, hey, at least someone's being honest.

"Steam takes a too big share of developer profits!" - I fully agree, but so does GOG and pretty much everyone else except itch.io.


Last edited by TheSHEEEP on 19 June 2018 at 6:52 am UTC
johndoe Jun 19, 2018
Quoting: ShmerlLinux is FOSS, so in the worst case you can take older distros and run them in virtual machine or container for this purpose.

I already mentioned this, read my post.

Quoting: ShmerlTell it to ScummVM or DosBox developers, and they'll have a laugh.

I use ScummVM and DosBox by myself and played many Lucas and Westwood games with it. My favourite ones are Kyrandia and Lands of Lore.
These guys are great and I appreciate their work.
But this does not change the fact that these games have reached EOL.
Without these tools you are not able to play THESE games anymore.
Please do not twist my words. Using ScummVM, DosBox, VM, Container or any third party installer does not change that.

By the way, more interesting would be to know if GOG does pay money to ScummVM and DosBOX developers for their effort.


Last edited by johndoe on 19 June 2018 at 9:38 am UTC
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