Is CD Projekt Red finally stepping up? Following the recent Californian law requiring digital storefronts like Steam to clarify that purchased games are merely licenses and can be revoked, CDPR has taken a more proactive stance. Their platform, GOG (Good Old Games), known for offering DRM-free games for PC, has just announced a “Preservation Program” aimed at making classic PC games playable indefinitely.
In celebration of GOG.com’s 16th anniversary, the program is launching with 100 iconic titles, including Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines, Alpha Protocol, System Shock 2, the original Diablo, the original Resident Evil trilogy, and Myst just to name a few.
Unfortunately, the 2003 video game Freelancer by Digital Anvil is missing from this exclusive collection, despite long-standing requests from fans urging GOG to add it to their store.
GOG is taking deliberate steps to appeal to gamers aware of the risks that live service titles and digital distribution can pose, where games on certain storefronts are vulnerable to removal due to licensing issues or other factors. As older consoles become outdated and unsupported, many titles can no longer be accessed without emulation. GOG emphasizes that they are helping to preserve cherished gaming memories, all DRM-free with dedicated technical support.
Known for making classic games playable on modern systems, GOG often goes the extra mile by patching or modifying games to ensure compatibility, especially for titles that encounter issues on current PCs and operating systems unlike other platforms like Steam.
For instance, the PC release of Saints Row 2, handled by CD Projekt Red, was a notorious mess, awash with bugs, poor optimization, and a ton of compatibility issues with modern 64-bit systems. GOG stepped up, teaming with modding communities to offer a version on their platform that actually worked, fixing many of the issues and making the game way more playable.
GOG’s version includes a community patch that lets Saints Row 2 start up on a PC the first time, every time, unlike Steam’s version, which still needs a load of user fixes to get it running. Though don’t be fooled, even with GOG patches applied the PC version of Saints Row 2 was still a buggy, unoptimized pile of shit.
The Gothic series, especially Gothic 1 and Gothic 2, were revolutionary RPGs but are notoriously tricky to run smoothly on modern systems. GOG addressed this by integrating fan-made patches and compatibility fixes into their versions.
This includes bundling patches like the System Pack and Player Kit directly with the game or making them easily accessible in the installer. In contrast, the Steam versions of Gothic games lack these built-in improvements, requiring players to manually download and install community patches to achieve the same level of stability, adding extra steps and technical know-how for users.
The GOG Preservation Program is hopefully CDPR’s way of finally doubling down on preserving classic games for the future—a much-needed step as game preservation becomes essential (unless, of course, you’re Nintendo).
GOG is pledging its own resources to restore older games, even if the original developers have long since bailed. They highlight a harsh fact from the Video Game History Foundation: 87% of games made before 2010 are inaccessible today. This issue isn’t helped by the U.S. Copyright Office’s decision against allowing preservation for educational purposes, claiming older game titles might end up used for “recreation” rather than learning.
GOG’s preservation efforts extend well beyond just ensuring compatibility with Windows 10 and 11. The 100 games in their Preservation Program have been re-released with “updated or quality-tested builds” to fix bugs that could hinder smooth performance. By integrating community-made patches, GOG ensures seamless compatibility with modern operating systems and hardware. Each game in the program is marked with an official “Preserved by GOG” stamp.
On top of that, GOG’s putting out a “Preservation Log” with each game, laying out exactly what’s been fixed or upgraded. They’re also talking about expanding this program with more games over time. But depending on what they add (and let’s be real, Freelancer probably isn’t making the cut), fans are going to see if CDPR is actually serious about preserving games or just milking nostalgia for a quick buck while real preservation efforts crash and burn.
As CDPR doubles down on their woke stance, scrutinizing men in the gaming industry, their new projects are likely to be full of identity politics and other messaging. This could mean serious financial risks. Soon enough, fans will see if CDPR is actually here for game preservation or are sporadically cashing in on old memories to offset the losses.
