Looking ahead: Michal Kicinski recently explained why he acquired GOG from CD Projekt and outlined the potential advantages of taking the retro-focused PC game storefront private. While remaining true to its core strengths, a less risk-averse GOG could pursue forgotten intellectual properties more aggressively.
Although Kicinski has not made any final decisions about whether GOG will move into direct game publishing, he told Eurogamer that such a move would not have been possible under CD Projekt. The parent company of CD Projekt Red prefers to concentrate its resources on original franchises such as The Witcher and Cyberpunk.
In fact, the fear of seeing those resources diverted was the primary reason Kicinski purchased GOG from CD Projekt. He also revealed that other bidders had expressed interest in acquiring the company.
Kicinski brings some publishing experience to the table as a co-owner of Retrovibe, which has overseen indie titles including Janosik, Impaler, and Project Warlock. Last year, Bartosz Kwietniewski, GOG's head of business development, told gamesindustry.biz that the company is interested in acquiring retro IPs to develop and publish remasters.
Under its current strategy, when GOG wants to re-release a game that no longer runs properly on modern operating systems, it works with the original publisher or current IP holder to update the software. Recently, the company partnered with Capcom to co-develop patched versions of Resident Evil, Dino Crisis, and Breath of Fire IV.
Kwietniewski suggested that GOG could eventually take a similar approach to Nightdive Studios, which has modernized numerous classics with improved performance and quality-of-life enhancements.
Kicinski also told PC Gamer that GOG plans to take a closer look at Linux this year, citing growing frustration with Windows. Microsoft's relentless push for generative AI has driven many power users to adopt Linux, which has seen increased momentum since Valve introduced optimizations for the Steam Deck.
A macOS user himself, Kicinski said he shares the frustrations of Windows users whenever he has to troubleshoot his parents' PCs. While some GOG games already ship with Linux executables, the company's launcher still does not support the operating system. At present, the easiest way to install and run GOG titles on Linux is through third-party tools such as the Heroic Games Launcher.
For now, GOG's owners say they will continue to focus on the platform's defining strengths – preserving classic games and keeping them available without DRM.
Kicinski believes this approach is the best way to compete in a market dominated by Steam. While GOG does offer some recent AAA releases, including Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the company plans to carefully curate its catalog, in contrast to Steam's strategy of adding hundreds of new games each day.