The counter reached zero; the cat was let out of the bag. Good thing, too, because we didn't know if it was
dead or alive. It turns out that it was very much alive and brings good news
from GOG. Activision and GOG have agreed upon terms to bring some of its classic titles to the DRM-free service.
According to an interview with Marcin Iwinski, co-founder of GOG, the deal includes about 20 games. February will be Activision Month on GOG, which will result in new releases every few days. Along with the announcement came the first two games made available:
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura and
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. I've never played either but fans seem to be excited about both.
Read the full interview
on Gamezebo for more of what's coming to GOG, including a potential new publisher and Windows 7/Mac compatibility. Kudos,
GOG. Keep up the good work!
GOG.com Brings Legendary Activision Games Back to Life
GOG.com excites gamers around the world by bringing classic Activision titles like Arcanum, Gabriel Knight and more to DRM-free games superstore.
Warsaw, Poland – January 28, 2010. In a landmark deal for the DRM-free digital distribution movement, Activision Publishing Inc. is bringing a wide range of classic games to GOG.com (http://www.gog.com). With a wealth of PC-gaming gems tucked away in the Activision vaults, the deal gives all types of gamer – from the long-time devotee to the laptop-carrying “newbie” – an unforgettable glimpse into the rich history of the PC gaming.
The games on offer will be unveiled gradually in the coming weeks so as to encourage maximum enjoyment of the classic gameplay. The first two titles should be instantly recognizable to any fan of games in the adventure and role-playing genres.
Available now, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura (Role-Playing Game, 2001) is the masterpiece from too-quickly-shuttered Troika Games. Heralded by The Electric Playground as “the most diverse and open-ended RPG to date,” Arcanum was conceived by many of the same minds responsible for the Fallout series and places players in a refreshingly unique setting, as ogres and other fantastical creatures come to grips with life in the midst of an industrial revolution.
The second title now available, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (Point-and-Click Adventure, 1993), envisioned by legendary game designer, Jane Jensen, stands as a shining example of adventure gaming at its best. As writer and bookstore owner, Gabriel Knight, players set off to investigate a series of murders, in hopes of using the research to write a new novel. Sins of the Fathers is the first part of Gabriel’s adventures, considered by many as the best Sierra adventure-game series.
“Signing the agreement with Activision is the biggest thing that’s happened at GOG.com since the actual announcement of the service. This is a huge step forward for our site and for digital distribution as a whole, as Activision is one of the biggest publishers in the world with a long history in the games industry,” said Adam Oldakowski, Managing Director at GOG.com. “We're even happier to bring Activision games back to gamers, as GOG.com is the only place right now, where you can grab the announced titles. We've also managed to work on those titles to provide full compatibility with modern operating systems."
About GOG.com
GOG.com – or Good Old Games – is the ultimate destination for classic PC games. Leading the DRM-free digital-distribution revolution, the site offers more than 180 of the greatest PC games of all time at low prices and free from intrusive copy protection. GOG.com is much more than just another digital distribution site, featuring an extensive community component that allows players to rate, review and discuss their favorite PC games, as well as insightful articles from respected games journalists. Visit www.gog.com and start your journey to the past.
