It wasn’t so long ago that Dave Oshry, the CEO of publisher New Blood Interactive, sparked a debate around the Epic Games Store’s validity as a PC storefront and genuine challenger to Steam. Now, it appears that a new interview is going to generate similar passionate discussions about GOG, which at the end of last year was acquired by one of CD Projekt Red’s co-founders. Praising the storefront for its game preservation efforts and accessible mod features, Oshry does however question in a new interview: “how long are they even going to be around?” The platform has now responded to these claims, agreeing that “game preservation only works if people care” and “give a shit.”
Steam’s dominance in the PC gaming space is always a hot topic, and I can’t envisage a future where any new or existing storefront could really take its crown away – barring any catastrophic disasters at Valve, of course. As a result, challengers like Epic and GOG are laser-focused on some of the areas where Steam falls short in order to sustain and grow their user bases.
Epic, for example, is marketing itself as the developer’s champion to attract more third-party games to its store – game makers can keep their first one million dollars of revenue, are charged far less than they are on Steam for commission, and can integrate their own payment systems to bypass that commission altogether. GOG, however, is all about easy modding, being DRM-free, and preserving classic games.
In a new interview with RPG Site, Oshry heaps praise on GOG for championing preservation and modding. “Everybody roots for GOG, right?” he says. “We want GOG to be a great thing, and GOG’s great.” However, as Steam continues to be the go-to destination for the majority, he questions the platform’s longevity and impact. “I love their preservation efforts and everything they’re trying to do, but they need enough people to give a shit, or, how long are they even going to be around?”
Responding to coverage of Oshry’s remarks, GOG says in a post on X that, in part, it agrees with the New Blood boss and spins his quote into a rallying cry of its own.
“We appreciate Dave’s honesty, and he’s right about one thing: game preservation only works if people care,” the post reads. “GOG was built to make sure the games that shaped us live forever. And with the support of our community, we’ve been doing exactly that for almost 20 years. The future of preservation is decided by players who give a shit. So buy DRM-free, vote on the Dreamlist, join GOG Patrons. If games matter to you, show it. And let’s prove together that preservation isn’t niche. It’s necessary.”
New owner Michal Kicinski, who acquired the storefront from CDPR, clearly believes that GOG’s principles can help it grow and continue to be a healthy, profitable player in the PC gaming space – I can’t see any other reason why he would’ve bought it, otherwise. But it is going to be tough, even with its principles, to lure people away from the convenience of Steam where many players’ libraries now reside.
