With the Steam Deck only a few days away from release, it seems people are wondering the support status of other stores. Seems GOG won't be supporting it, which isn't surprising.
Currently, GOG does support Linux with direct downloads, although they only officially support a few versions of Ubuntu. They do not, however, support GOG Galaxy on Linux. This has been a bit of a problem, as some games with multiplayer rely on Galaxy meaning a few Linux builds on GOG came without multiplayer.
Speaking on Twitter, in reply to a YouTuber asking if they will support the Steam Deck they replied:
There's no official GOG support for SteamDeck. But since the device has an open architecture, as we understand, you can install Windows and as such also run GOG games.
They never replied to our email enquiring about it.
Technically, you won't need to do that. GOG Galaxy can run in Wine, although unsupported. On top of that, projects like Minigalaxy exist, Lutris has GOG download support, Bottles has a GOG installer and even Heroic Games Launcher is working on Linux support that's close to release - so there's options available on SteamOS 3 with the Steam Deck to get GOG games. However, Galaxy features are generally locked to their own app.
One reason that's likely GOG aren't working to expand their Linux support to Galaxy and Steam Deck, is that they aren't exactly doing well financially.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I was expecting them to say that they will not support the Steam Deck or at least not at launch or some kind of diplomatic answer.. but I definitely wasn't expecting a "Just install Windows" answer.. Disappointed
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GOG Galaxy can run in Wine, although unsupported.Why buy GOG games at all? You need to buy on Steam, from those people who really support your platform, and do not wipe their feet about you.
One reason that's likely GOG aren't working to expand their Linux support to Galaxy and Steam Deck, is that they aren't exactly doing well financially.
Interesting. And who prevented them from fully supporting Linux before, even with the old launcher? This had to be done in the heyday of ports from Feral and others, since 2016.
Why complain about finances now? Poles fully deserve their current position. GOG is no longer needed by anyone, even Linux users deposit more money on Steam.
No need to feel sorry for them. If GOG closes, then so it will be. CDPR deserved it, it's their own fault that they have been in this position for years of lying.
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AussieEevee 21 Feb 2022
you can install Windows
Rude. GoG is officially off my Christmas card list.
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StalePopcorn 21 Feb 2022
…a response from someone with their fingers far from the pulse of the community.
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Sounds like a dumb response of some clueless PR person. They'll revise their answer soon, becasue it was a pretty bad PR :)
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TheRiddick 21 Feb 2022
CDPR GOG still upset with Linux user base I see. They NEVER did recover from those Witcher2 threats certain extremists made...
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Does any of the 4 customers of GOG use Linux?
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Sounds like a dumb response of some clueless PR person. They'll revise their answer soon, becasue it was a pretty bad PR :)No, they won't.
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Aww, come on! They have a point, you know. It is just your Linux-centrism that keeps you from seeing it. :)Thanks for the added context.
I guess in GOGs defense, it's also likely a not so technically inclined PR person answered that question.
But all that said, with a thing like the Steam Deck that's all over the news and gets regular coverage by (Windows-centric) mainstream gaming press, one could perhaps assume that a business that sells games that can be potentially played on the Deck was a little more proactive and informed.
Oh well, for all I care they need do naught but provide a website to buy and download my games. The less they try to "support" me with additional crap, the less there is to go wrong. And I assume the Deck runs a browser, right!?
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CDPR GOG still upset with Linux user base I see. They NEVER did recover from those Witcher2 threats certain extremists made...
Were those threats ever verified with real evidence that everyone got to see (other than maybe a tweet) ?
How many cases were reported to the police ?
How many charges were brought ?
How many convictions were subsequently given ?
How easy would it be to use that as an excuse to not support Linux ?
How easy would it be to make them up yourself ?
How often to people throw shade, idle empty threats online everyday ?
How many 13yr old COD kid's can use twitter and tell people whatever they want ?
How much of a melt do you have to be to group every single Linux user ( millions of people ) and decide the behavior of a few is the behavior of them all ? Hmm .. that sounds kinda like what actual extremists do right ? Should we say that because GOG is registered in Poland and there are (")extremists(") > [ Nebulous Term ] in Poland that all GOG employees & their families are extremists ?
That whole incident was just them looking for a reason to not do something that would cost them a lot of money & support. And now as we have seen with their terrible marketing department it would not be out of the ordinary to JUMP at the chance to find a reason to not support Linux gaming properly.
So yea, they never did get over it because there was nothing to get over.
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AFAIK, all of these "revelations" come from "Jaycee1980", a fired (now "ex-")employee from Virtual Programming, who was very vocal on all news outlets (here, steamcommunity, reddit, twitter etc.). Sounded plausible, so people just went along with that.CDPR GOG still upset with Linux user base I see. They NEVER did recover from those Witcher2 threats certain extremists made...
Were those threats ever verified with real evidence that everyone got to see (other than maybe a tweet) ?
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No, they won't.
If they have only dumb PR people - they won't.
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AFAIK, all of these "revelations" come from "Jaycee1980", a fired (now "ex-")employee from Virtual Programming, who was very vocal on all news outlets (here, steamcommunity, reddit, twitter etc.). Sounded plausible, so people just went along with that.CDPR GOG still upset with Linux user base I see. They NEVER did recover from those Witcher2 threats certain extremists made...
Were those threats ever verified with real evidence that everyone got to see (other than maybe a tweet) ?
From distant memory the things said about Linux (and the community) in certain channels before that even happened wasn't exactly glowing.. quite the opposite, some people have an axe to grind against Linux for whatever reason (hello Sweeney). Plausibility isn't really the issue (now long in the past) it was the obvious get out of supporting Linux jail card that was at the time the real issue.
But it's all academic now and i don't support GOG with my money or time.
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Avehicle7887 21 Feb 2022
Bad reply on GOG's side, I think they had better not reply at all than throwing the silly 'Install Windows' response.
Instead of the Steam Deck, I think GOG should support Linux on the desktop to begin with. They're already half way there, all that remains is the extra mile with native client and multiplayer support. Hell, some devs even refused to release their Linux versions due to lack of Galaxy entirely.
With some effort they can be the 2nd best Linux game storefront to buy from.
Instead of the Steam Deck, I think GOG should support Linux on the desktop to begin with. They're already half way there, all that remains is the extra mile with native client and multiplayer support. Hell, some devs even refused to release their Linux versions due to lack of Galaxy entirely.
With some effort they can be the 2nd best Linux game storefront to buy from.
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With some effort they can be the 2nd best Linux game storefront to buy from.
The sad part is, the only one that might arguably prevent them from holding that distinction now is itch.io, at least to my knowledge.
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Bad reply on GOG's side, I think they had better not reply at all than throwing the silly 'Install Windows' response.
Instead of the Steam Deck, I think GOG should support Linux on the desktop to begin with.
Yeah, supporting Deck officially isn't a trivial project like some might think. I.e. like making sure games work with the controller, making controller work without Steam and so on. I have no idea if there is a way to do it now even and how.
But proposing to install Windows isn't a solution to any of that, so such kind of answer is ridiculous.
I agree, GOG should focus on improving desktop Linux support, before trying to support Deck if they decide to.
Last edited by Shmerl on 21 Feb 2022 at 8:56 pm UTC
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So, yes, GOG is correct, one will be able to play GOG's amazing library on Steam Deck. Even if the solution is not for said one's taste.Of course you will be able to play your GOG Games on Steam Deck (who had a doubt about that anyway)... if you don't mind fiddling around in Desktop Mode on a tiny screen, with no regular mouse, no dynamic cloud sync, limited controller support (unless you add your games to Steam). No thanks, that's not the OOTB experience I'm looking for.
If GOG wants to profit from the Steam Deck, I would expect them to offer at least some basic integration tools. Installing GOG in its current state on the Steam Deck is like buying a Ferrari and installing a two-stroke engine in it.
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The only appeal they have now is to offer DRM free games
I think GOG kinda lost it's way when DRM-free stopped being a thing customers cared about.
When they started, it was a good play. There were a lot more stores and the number of stores was decreasing, so people could be concerned about losing their library if a store closed.
Today, I think people are not worried that a store like Steam will close, or are that worried about DRM in general asuch as they were in the past. I think GOG as a store didn't really figure out how to react to that in a meaningful way and still haven't.
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Hmm, they managed to loose even more of my respect.
But OK, they do not care for Linux or Linux devices with a fixed configuration like the deck.
So I do not care for them. I can spend my money elsewhere I think....
But OK, they do not care for Linux or Linux devices with a fixed configuration like the deck.
So I do not care for them. I can spend my money elsewhere I think....
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pleasereadthemanual 21 Feb 2022
Technically, GOG is completely correct. Their native Linux builds don't officially support Arch Linux or the new SteamOS, which is a derivative of that distribution. They support Ubuntu. They can't guarantee support for an OS they've never tested their games for.
Whether this PR spokesperson understands this or not, I couldn't say. Clearly the diplomatic response would have been, "these games have been tested for Ubuntu officially, but they may work on the Steam Deck. We don't know; we haven't tried it."
Whether this PR spokesperson understands this or not, I couldn't say. Clearly the diplomatic response would have been, "these games have been tested for Ubuntu officially, but they may work on the Steam Deck. We don't know; we haven't tried it."
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