GOG Galaxy 2.0 Epic Games Store Integration Stirs Up Some Controversy
Good Old Games is no longer Good Old Games. Whether that's a good or bad thing is something its users are still coming to terms with. GOG, which now just stands for GOG, has opened its doors wide not just to newer titles but to other PC games distribution platforms that don't really mesh well with its philosophy. The latter has mostly come via integration with its Galaxy 2.0 launcher to have one place to see all your games. The latest to join that rather small group is Epic Games and, unsurprisingly, not everyone is gushing over the announcement.
GOG was famous for two things that allowed it to stand the test of time. It focused on making old games available today, something Steam doesn't really offer, and it provided these games without DRM, something no other games store will even consider. The first of these two have long been history and some fear that even the DRM-free spirit will soon be gone.
Today's announcement doesn't really help allay those fears even if it has nothing to do with it directly. In a nutshell, the CD Projekt-owned company announced that Epic Games Store is now integrated into its Galaxy 2.0 launcher, which is still in preview. GOG Galaxy's goal has been to be a one-stop-shop for seeing all the games you have installed on your PC and launching them from a single place. In other words, it's more a games management system than an actual store.
For some GOG users, it's pretty much non-news other than making the integration an official part of Galaxy 2.0. The only other official integration to date is Xbox Live but there have been third-party community add-ons that did exactly that already, pulling in titles from other platforms and stores as well. It also doesn't change the fact that you still need to install Epic Games Store's launcher and install the game from there anyway.
The news also feeds into worries that GOG is slowly inching its way into Epic Games' lucrative distribution platform. GOG did talk about how the two companies have a similar goal in breaking down walls between PC stores, though there will always be those that call into question Epic Games' ulterior motives and methods. That said, even if their goals align on that front, GOG hardly makes a perfect fit for Epic Games, especially since its DRM-free philosophy is something no major game publishers will ever embrace.