In what appears to be the end of an era, Good Old Games has shut down citing publisher and management difficulties with maintaining a DRM free service for purchasing classic titles.
We have recently had to give serious thought to whether we could really keep GOG.com the way it is. We've debated on it for quite some time and, unfortunately, we've decided that GOG.com simply cannot remain in its current form.
We first discussed GOG a little over two years ago when the service launched and were quite excited about its potential. Over the years they've added hundreds of titles from many publishers all at great prices - most under $10. The site claims that it might not mean the end of GOG, but in its current incarnation they simply had to cease to be.
If you've purchased a game from GOG they will still offer a way to redownload the titles that are rightfully yours - though there's nothing currently in place to do so. The site mentions that users should keep an eye on their official Twitter and Facebook pages for more info.
It's sad that this day and age that publishers can't agree on an effective way to distribute and sell their old games for a fair price. Once again DRM seems to be the main culprit here hurting not only gamers who want to get their hands on classic games, but publishers who are now missing a sale.
We'll keep our fingers crossed that GOG sees the light of day again. There's way too many classic co-op titles that need to find a good home.
Here's the full letter from GOG.
Dear GOG users,
We have recently had to give serious thought to whether we could really keep GOG.com the way it is. We've debated on it for quite some time and, unfortunately, we've decided that GOG.com simply cannot remain in its current form.
We're very grateful for all support we've received from all of you in the past two years. Working on GOG.com was a great adventure for all of us and an unforgettable journey to the past, through the long and wonderful history of PC gaming.
This doesn't mean the idea behind GOG.com is gone forever. We're closing down the service and putting this era behind us as new challenges await.
On a technical note, this week we'll put in place a solution to allow everyone to re-download their games. Stay tuned to this page and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.
All the best,
GOG.com Team
Source: Gog.com