Good Old Games has announced its intent to pursue newer games and "exclusive release opportunities with certain developers," according to a GOG.com press release. The shift is part of an overarching goal to become the second largest independent digital distributor.
Managing Director Guillaume Rambourg said, "We will be adding newer games into the catalog in 2012. Traditionally, GOG.com has looked for great classics that are three years old or older. We will continue to add classic games, of course, but we are actively working to sign newer titles now." He reiterated GOG's commitment to its "core values" of flat international prices, no DRM, and extra content for customers.
He also said that GOG.com wants to work with developers and independent publishers. "We've made GOG.com the destination for classic PC games, but now is the time to take this to the next level and emerge as the best alternative digital distribution platform for all PC games," Rambourg said.
It's been exciting to watch GOG.com grow and its catalog deepen, but I do worry that this is "mission creep" that could ultimately conflict with the site's original purpose: making classic PC games legally available and compatible with modern PCs. Will companies like EA be eager to open their back-catalog to GOG.com if it is explicitly pursuing the same market as Origin, Steam, etc.?
