Any hope for a GOG release?

[constablegeneral]

As the title says, is there any realistic hope for a GOG release for EU 5? Recently EU4 and Crusader Kings 2 were released on GOG. Paradox games being mostly single player do not require to be constantly online, neither is there much of a cheating scene since games are mostly Single Player. Moreover, DLCs can be released on GOG as well. As for Mods, I would say Moddb can serve as Steam workshop though it will take time to create the entire ecosystem there. However, as for the game itself and the DLCs, I really wish, even without the modding scene of the Steam Workshop, we get a GOG release. It would be really great to actually own the game without the DRM and updates.

 

[NoobishHeadache]

But the Paradox Launcher itself is DRM, and comes with the game regardless of which platform you obtain the game from...

 

[constablegeneral]

But the Paradox Launcher itself is DRM, and comes with the game regardless of which platform you obtain the game from...

I don't have the GOG version, but GOG claims that you don't need DRM, and only need a Paradox account is required for online play, that's it.
Personally, save for a few games, I want to avoid Steam as much as possible.

Honestly, I don't care for multiplayer much, and having to go through DRM, especially when you're not a regular gamer, is a hassle, with platform and other games updates etc. I'd rather just play my single player, and then go through any DRM if I decide to play online on holidays or something.

 

[MasterPaw]

Johan said steam only

 

[peteoj]

Johan said steam only

It's so johanover

 

[Sirbab]

Johan said steam only

We still have no clear idea if he meant the os or the distributor. You're probably right but still. I wish the man would clarify.

 

[constablegeneral]

Johan said steam only

I really hope that this is not final. We've had games like Mount and Blade Bannerlord, Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk etc release on GOG. I think all games that are still largely single player based, need to have a GOG or some DRM free release. I really hope they reconsider this, it would make the game a lot more accessible for casual, and even occasional gamers. I've almost left Steam for all games that are not mostly multiplayer, heck, I've uninstalled my Medieval 2 on Steam, and use my disc version, which with a few adjustments runs all mods without a hitch, and it is a massive relief to play.

I REALLY don't want to buy EU5 and all its DLCs on Steam and then get stuck with the Steam version. I'd rather buy all on GOG from the get go.

 

[constablegeneral]

Addendum;

Also to consider is how some countries get games banned for no reason, my country back in the day had not allowed Dragon Age Inquisition for PC over a decade ago. I really would want to own my games and not just have a license to just 'use' which is susceptible internet outages even if you just want a single player experience, or random country issue, a random server issue, account hack, or anything. I just want to play my game without issue, and switch into a single account when I want to go for online play.

 

[Ekyman]

But the Paradox Launcher itself is DRM, and comes with the game regardless of which platform you obtain the game from...

How is the launcher DRM?

We still have no clear idea if he meant the os or the distributor. You're probably right but still. I wish the man would clarify.

Of course it's possible he meant Steam OS, but seriously, there's an obvious way to read that and a hopium way to read that and it's funny how many people are clinging to the latter.

it would make the game a lot more accessible for casual, and even occasional gamers.

While this is a nice thought, it really wouldn't. Casual and occasional gamers use Steam. And if not that they use Epic (because they're Fortnite players) or the Xbox app (because they have Gamepass). Many have never even heard of GOG.

 

[constablegeneral]

How is the launcher DRM?

Of course it's possible he meant Steam OS, but seriously, there's an obvious way to read that and a hopium way to read that and it's funny how many people are clinging to the latter.

While this is a nice thought, it really wouldn't. Casual and occasional gamers use Steam. And if not that they use Epic (because they're Fortnite players) or the Xbox app (because they have Gamepass). Many have never even heard of GOG.

Of course Steam version is the most popular with all right now, but that doesn't mean that it is the easiest or the most convenient to use. I'm an occasional gamer, basically means that I play mostly on weekends or holidays, and I everytime I open steam, it runs updates to let me start playing even single player. Offline mode of steam only works for a day or two, then you need to log in online, and then continue with the offline mode.

GOG version on the other hand needs nothing, once you install it, single player is hassle free. There is a difference between accessibility and just market domination, casual players use Steam because they mostly have no alternatives. I am a casual/occasional player, and from a convenience and accessiblity POV I'll take GOG over Steam every day without question.

At the very least, I will buy EU5 on Steam only if they decide to NEVER release any other version. In case there is any chance for a GOG or any other DRM free release later, I'd rather wait and then buy the game and all the DLCs instead of getting stuck with Steam.

 

[Augustus93]

There's no hope of any gog release for eu5. The last gog release that they did was stellaris back in May 2016. HoI4 didn't get a gog release, ck3 didn't get a gog release, v3 didn't get a gog release. And anyone who think that johan meant steam os is going to be very disappointed because he clearly meant windows and steam (the platform) only. The era of new gog releases for pds games have been over for a long time now and now the era for linux and mac native support is going to be over too following eu5.
Edit: I did forget about imperator Rome which did get gog release in 2019. Paradox have had quite a bit of leadership changes in the last decade so it might have been made by some other decision makers at the time. Also interesting to observe is that the only two games that did get gog release were completely new IPs in stellaris and imperator Rome whereas all the already established IPs didn't get any gog releases.

 

[constablegeneral]

There's no hope of any gog release for eu5. The last gog release that they did was stellaris back in May 2016. HoI4 didn't get a gog release, ck3 didn't get a gog release, v3 didn't get a gog release. And anyone who think that johan meant steam os is going to be very disappointed because he clearly meant windows and steam (the platform) only. The era of new gog releases for pds games have been over for a long time now and now the era for linux and mac native support is going to be over too following eu5.
Edit: I did forget about imperator Rome which did get gog release in 2019. Paradox have had quite a bit of leadership changes in the last decade so it might have been made by some other decision makers at the time. Also interesting to observe is that the only two games that did get gog release were completely new IPs in stellaris and imperator Rome whereas all the already established IPs didn't get any gog releases.

This game is probably going to be greatest single player grand strategy experience, and to have it rely on Steam DRM is a pity.... I'm still in 2 minds whether to wait for a non DRM release or go for the Steam one....

At the very least, they should allow us to be able to redeem the GOG or any Non DRM version with the keys of the Steam version, so that all the investments on the game and DLCs don't go waste if and when a non DRM version comes out.

 

[Kovax]

A Steam-only release means that I cannot play it. My home PC is on a floor with no phone or internet connection, so the only ways that I can access the internet are by either dragging the system down 2 flights of stairs and plugging into a dial-up connection (picture waiting for Steam to update a game on dialup before you can play), or else hauling it to work and out to wherever I was able to park (frequently more than a block from home) to use their high-speed connection in the off-hours. Needless to say, I don't do multi-player.

If I've got to reconnect to Steam every few days to prevent the standalone game from locking me out, it's far more hassle than it's worth, and I've got enough previous issues with Steam that I will never do business with them again anyway.

I've had good luck with games from GOG, Amazon, GamersGate, and other services, and nothing but trouble in my past dealings with Steam. If you don't see a lot of complaints about Steam on other sites, it's at least partly due to them forcing agreements to remove negative posts or move them to an obscure part of the forum. If it's a Steam-only game, that's one less sale for Paradox.

 

[Intrspace]

I really hope that this is not final. We've had games like Mount and Blade Bannerlord, Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk etc release on GOG. I think all games that are still largely single player based, need to have a GOG or some DRM free release. I really hope they reconsider this, it would make the game a lot more accessible for casual, and even occasional gamers. I've almost left Steam for all games that are not mostly multiplayer, heck, I've uninstalled my Medieval 2 on Steam, and use my disc version, which with a few adjustments runs all mods without a hitch, and it is a massive relief to play.

I REALLY don't want to buy EU5 and all its DLCs on Steam and then get stuck with the Steam version. I'd rather buy all on GOG from the get go.

Why? What difference does it make?

 

[constablegeneral]

Why? What difference does it make?

1. Steam updates for a time if you're not a regular gamer with Steam open all the time in the background, these updates take time.
2. You don't actually own the game, so in case some issue with the game arises, servers, country locks or anything else, you lose the game.
3. A mostly Single Player game doesn't need to DRM or third party overlay and launchers, it's not like we have cheating issues like in the competitive e sports scene.
4. If you buy the Steam version, and if they release a DRM free version in the future, then you won't be able to shift to it because all your investments, DLCs etc are in the Steam version, no one would want to buy the entire thing again., UNLESS, of course we could use our Steam Keys to access the DRM free version with all the DLCs.
5. Not everyone has access to internet 24/7, and Steam Offline only works for a day or 2, after that you need to log in online, update your Steam, and only then you will be allowed to play games. This for a massively single player game is ridiculous.

So based on all the above things, I'll suggest a things;

Most preferable would be a GOG or some DRM Free release,

Second, in case they're considering a later GOG or DRM release, it would be great if they could let us use our Steam key to access the DRM free version, otherwise those who bought Steam and wanted to shift to other version will be stuck.

Lastly, they never want a DRM Free or GOG release, please confirm it right now, so that we may or may not buy Steam, knowing that it was the only option available. I play only those games on Steam that have no GOG versions, so in the case of EU 5, I would appreciate this infomration beforehand buying.

 

[Enku7071]

How is the launcher DRM?

Launcher checks the "validity" of the DLC purchases every time it logs in, but it can still be accessed offline tho. So ...half-DRM??

I personally am skeptical if they'd ever release the game on GOG because newer titles are not released there imo. On the other hand, I:R (a Tinto game instead of Vic3 or HoI4 which are PDS) is on GOG so who knows tbh.
Maybe PDX is not expecting much value out of GOG for some reason idk, maybe due to the corporate way of combatting piracy or sth.
Lastly, being DRM nowadays is becoming rarer and rarer, as internet access grows even further, meaning that catering for people who does not have constant internet access could be seen as not worth investing, but this is me being pessimistic about it (keep in mind that there is no Mac and Linux launch as well, which was confirmed).

 

[Ekyman]

Launcher checks the "validity" of the DLC purchases every time it logs in, but it can still be accessed offline tho. So ...half-DRM??

Hmm, but you can even launch the game directly from the executable bypassing the launcher. I assume you still have all your DLCs in that case, though I haven’t checked.

I wouldn’t call it DRM unless it either had an online requirement or actually blocked access if it didn’t successfully complete a validity check.

I personally am skeptical if they'd ever release the game on GOG because newer titles are not released there imo. On the other hand, I:R (a Tinto game instead of Vic3 or HoI4 which are PDS) is on GOG so who knows tbh.
Maybe PDX is not expecting much value out of GOG for some reason idk, maybe due to the corporate way of combatting piracy or sth.

TBH it’s probably just the fact that GOG has a pretty small market share combined with Paradox, or parts of Paradox, seemingly having some latent preference for single-store releases as being easier to deal with. This isn’t the first Paradox game to have at least periods of being Steam only, and this one apparently isn’t coming to other stores that do allow DRM either.

 

[T3DPool]

1. Steam updates for a time if you're not a regular gamer with Steam open all the time in the background, these updates take time.
2. You don't actually own the game, so in case some issue with the game arises, servers, country locks or anything else, you lose the game.
3. A mostly Single Player game doesn't need to DRM or third party overlay and launchers, it's not like we have cheating issues like in the competitive e sports scene.
4. If you buy the Steam version, and if they release a DRM free version in the future, then you won't be able to shift to it because all your investments, DLCs etc are in the Steam version, no one would want to buy the entire thing again., UNLESS, of course we could use our Steam Keys to access the DRM free version with all the DLCs.
5. Not everyone has access to internet 24/7, and Steam Offline only works for a day or 2, after that you need to log in online, update your Steam, and only then you will be allowed to play games. This for a massively single player game is ridiculous.

So based on all the above things, I'll suggest a things;

Most preferable would be a GOG or some DRM Free release,

Second, in case they're considering a later GOG or DRM release, it would be great if they could let us use our Steam key to access the DRM free version, otherwise those who bought Steam and wanted to shift to other version will be stuck.

Lastly, they never want a DRM Free or GOG release, please confirm it right now, so that we may or may not buy Steam, knowing that it was the only option available. I play only those games on Steam that have no GOG versions, so in the case of EU 5, I would appreciate this infomration beforehand buying.

So much misinformation in one post is incredible honestly.

1. You can absolutely play steam games without needing to update them first if you don't care about multiplayer anyways that's what offline mode is for.
2. Offline mode lasts indefinitely and is not tied to a specific system or anything. It most definitely doesn't just last for two days.
You only need to be online for the initial activation of the game after that never again, at least not because of steam. Read their TOS please.
3. Games that release a drm free version on gog have a very high chance to have their steam version drm free anyways too just because it's on steam doesn't automatically guarantee drm.
4. Recent paradox releases work even if they can't connect to steam when started via the exe tested with CK3 just a moment ago so you don't even need offline mode or have steam open at all. This also works with no Internet connection ofc.

So most of your reasons are either completely false or irrelevant.

 

[pdx-sanke]

At the moment, the only storefront planned for Europa Universalis V at launch is Steam. It is less about being DRM free or not, it is about being available where most of PDS player base is and where to focus our internal resources on for launch.

That does not prevent a release in other places in the future, or even console ports, but there are no plans for it as of now.

 

[honkajoki]

At the moment, the only storefront planned for Europa Universalis V at launch is Steam. It is less about being DRM free or not, it is about being available where most of PDS player base is and where to focus our internal resources on for launch.

That does not prevent a release in other places in the future, or even console ports, but there are no plans for it as of now.

Thanks for the info. Could you tell whether Johan's "Steam" here meant SteamOS or the point of sale? If it meant the point of sale, are ports for other OSs (Linux or Mac) possible in the future, if even console ports are?

I realize this may reflect poorly on the chances of getting an answer to the above, but have to try. You wouldn't have any info on EUV hardware requirents, DLC model, or the fate of EU4?