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GOG explores reviving physical PC game releases — digital storefront needs publisher approvals, has to figure out the logistics and legal challenges
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The popular DRM-free game storefront GOG’s business development and partnerships manager, Marcin Paczynski, said in an interview with GamesRadar+ that he wants to bring back physical media to PC gaming. GOG still has to deal with logistics and additional publisher permissions to store and sell physical games, but Paczynski hopes to give gamers more consumer freedom through actual real-world tangible physical media.
The PC was effectively the first platform to ditch physical games, but since Sony and Microsoft’s recent unpopular plans to stop producing physical games on their consoles, GOG wants to bring the box-fresh experience back to PC gaming and further advocate for game ownership and preservation — on top of the existing GOG Preservation Program's efforts to make old games playable on modern hardware.
In GamesRadar+’s interview with Marcin Paczynski, the exec said, “Ideally, my dream would be to be able to buy physical versions of those games on GOG. You go to your shelf on GOG, you click on the game that you would like to receive a physical copy of, you order it, and it gets to you. That would be a perfect scenario.”
Paczynski realizes how complicated this new business is, as it’s something GOG has never done before. It’s never had to keep physical inventory of games or worry about shipping and other logistical problems. Paczynski also says GOG would need “additional approvals” from publishers to sell physical copies of games. Physical copies could also add to this improved experience, especially if they give the gamers more agency over their own games, even potentially reviving the used market where players can swap or buy and sell games among each other.
Paczynski hasn’t provided details on what physical media the games will be delivered in, but optical disc drives are rare on PCs now, so it’s unlikely the games will come on CDs, DVDs, or Blu-rays. It could be delivered in media still currently accessible by most PCs, such as USB drives, or even SD cards packaged like Nintendo Switch cartridges. These could also be an avenue for publishers to provide exclusive physical bonuses like stickers, maps, secrets, lore, and much more. There’s nothing like the tactile experience of opening up a fresh game with that distinct new-game scent and being excited for the extra stuff the games come with to collect and display.
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Jhet Borja is a serial hobbyist who was taking apart toys from childhood and sketching inventions. He now loves doing DIY projects ranging from designing custom 3D-printed parts, building PCs and keyboards, all the way to woodworking. If he's not getting his hands dirty, he's probably brainstorming his next project.