GOG’s New Boss Plans To Challenge Steam With Curation, Classics And Zero DRM

GOG’s recent move to become an independent outfit saw the return of one its original cofounders, Michał Kiciński, and promised a continuation of the service its users know and love. Now, Kiciński is sharing what the company hopes to accomplish going forward, including challenging the behemoth of Steam that recently hit a milestone of 42 million concurrent users.

In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Kiciński was bullish on GOG’s ability to challenge Steam, even if it looks like a near impossible task after witnessing large companies such as Amazon give up on that fight. He believes that “it'll be difficult for them to defend the market, because they already have 80%, so it should be easier to take the market from them.”

To achieve this GOG will be working to reinforce what it has been doing well for several years now, which means operating as service where classic games are given the attention they deserve and a commitment to DRM-free gaming. All while putting in the necessary improvements into its infrastructure and software so that in can get close to what gamers have become accustomed to getting with Steam.


Additionally, the company sees an opportunity in buying older IP with an eye to not just making them accessible but potentially revitalizing them with new entries. Bartosz Kwietniewski, head of business development at GOG, has pointed to Nightdive Studio’s efforts to bring back System Shock, as a path that GOG can follow.

Although this is about more than just money and growth, as the company has a special place in Kiciński’s heart. "I wanted to avoid the situation where GOG will be swallowed by some very big corporation, and then the user database will be transferred, and the company will be closed down, or the team will be fired.”

The combination of sentimentality and an understanding of the gaming business, alongside what players want and expect from GOG, at least conveys a hopeful future.