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Digital games distributor GoG offers DRM-free film downloads

by Mark Tyson on 28 August 2014, 11:00

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Many gamers will have taken advantage of GoG's online store for DRM-free digital download PC (and Mac) games. Now the online retailer has decided to branch out into the world of film downloads.

GoG decided that the time is now right for introducing such a DRM-free download service for the film industry and "make digital entertainment better for everyone". According to C&VG the firm said "More and more users start to expect and demand the digital content they paid for to be free from any kind of restrictive mechanisms that limit access to their collections and get in the way of enjoyment."

This isn't the first time that GoG has thought about putting a DRM-free film download service into action but it was always hobbled by the reluctance of any major entertainment studio to be the first to dip its toe into the waters. "We talked to most of the big players in the movie industry and we often got a similar answer: "We love your ideas, but ... we do not want to be the first ones. We will gladly follow, but until somebody else does it first, we do not want to take the risk"," explained GoG's Guillaume Rambourg.

So GoG has now taken the plunge. On its first day as an online film seller it has 21 titles available ranging in price from free to £4.69. If you have a browse though the selection on offer you will notice that the launch selection is largely of the gaming and internet culture documentary genre. Some of the titles sound very interesting and if you click through on one of the items in the store you can get to learn more about the film, see a YouTube trailer, see screenshots and check the IMDB scores etc.

GoG offers the films DRM-free in full HD 1080p and 720p quality. Purchasers can choose to stream or download the film. The service is even backed by the usual GoG money back guarantee (the terms of which look like they need updating to include films, not just games).

HEXUS Forums :: 7 Comments

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Posted by wasabi - Thu 28 Aug 2014 11:20
Good luck to them. DRM and streaming are both pretty sucky. Being able to just download and play anywhere at decent quality is what we need.
Posted by SciFi - Thu 28 Aug 2014 11:46
Yep, Piracy is 95% acceptability and cost related IMHO. make things a sensible price and easy to get and the majority of people will stop using other methods of getting hold of things.
Posted by Ferral - Thu 28 Aug 2014 11:47
It's not just the movies there now either, they have sorted their pricing out so the banks can't get one over on us in the UK from purchasing there.

Previously when I have used my debit card direct in the same manner as I do with Steam or Origin my bank was charging me £1.50 for every transaction I made there due to it being only USD. Now you can stick with USD if you so wish or pay in Pounds Sterling which is about time in all honesty.

A minority of users are becoming pretty vocal on their forums about the regional pricing saying no fair etc but obviously they aren't looking at the bigger picture and how the flat rate USD affects other people round the world. If they don't like this regional pricing then they can just buy the game in USD and be done with it, same as they always have done. They even call people out saying use Paypal instead of just using your debit cards, thing is though, we should have a choice and options on how we want to purchase digital goods.

With some games also they are having to do a 1:1 pricing regional policy, so say $17 for a game and you will pay £17 which is completely unfair and then stick on the bank charge and wham you have been done over.

So as an example, the Indie game 1954 Alcatraz is priced at £16.99 and is also the same amount in Dollars, so what they are doing if you buy the game in your local currency, out of their own pockets they will refund you the difference back as store credit to use as you see fit on another purchase. Check out that games store page and you will see buying it in Pounds Sterling it will get you £4.50 back as store credit :

http://www.gog.com/game/1954_alcatraz

All in all GOG are moving forward and I wish them good luck with their endeavors, it also means I will stop boycotting their site now and start buying from them again :)
Posted by Noxvayl - Thu 28 Aug 2014 13:15
GoG.com might become my store of choice for everything digital if they continue on this path. I already buy games from them if they are anywhere near the Steam price because I'd rather get it DRM free to add to my digital collection to enjoy as and when I see fit.

Steam is great and I am happy with their single DRM solution of having one account per gamer and not being able to play the same games catalogue at the same time. The sharing and offline modes for Steam are good which is why I am happy with my Steam library but I still prefer DRM free and will go for GoG.com over Steam if it is not cost prohibitive.
Posted by cjs150 - Thu 28 Aug 2014 15:35
I do not care. I buy the Blu-Ray and rip it down to hard disc. If it has any funny DRM that my software will not circumvent then I do not buy it

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