Just had the following email from GOG about account migration for CD Projekt Red games, not quite sure what to make of it. Don't CDPR own GOG? Why do they need to be separated? What does this mean for the long term future of the services?
MIGRATION OF CD PROJEKT RED ONLINE SERVICES
Dear [user],
You are receiving this email due to your use of online features, including Cross Progression and My Rewards, in CD PROJEKT RED games, as well as your participation in platforms like the CD PROJEKT RED Forums. We are migrating these products to a new account system, owned and operated by CD PROJEKT S.A., effective from March 5th, 2024. This consolidation will involve the transfer of governance of your personal data, including your email address and username, from the GOG account system to the CD PROJEKT RED account system.
What does this change?
Starting March 5th, 2024, the above mentioned online features and services will be available through a new CD PROJEKT RED account system.
Do I need to take any action?
No, a new CD PROJEKT RED account will be created for you automatically based on your GOG Account information: user ID, username and email address. This will allow you to continue using features provided by CD PROJEKT RED with no interruption. No action is required on your end.
How can I log in after the migration?
Your new account will use the same email address as your GOG Account. If you’re already logged into any of our games, you will stay logged in when the account change takes place.
What happens to my personal data?
Upon migration, CD PROJEKT S.A. will become a data controller of your personal data connected with CD PROJEKT RED account. Transfer of data will be based on a legitimate interest in ensuring continuity of CD PROJEKT RED online services. For more information see updated CD PROJEKT S.A. Privacy Policy available here.
How does this affect my current GOG account?
Your GOG account and all your GOG purchases remain unaffected. The GOG.com website and the GOG Galaxy app will continue to use the GOG account system. Your GOG account will be separate from your CD PROJEKT RED account.
Can I opt out?
If you do not wish to have a CD PROJEKT RED account created for you, you may opt out of the account creation process by clicking this link. After the account system migration, you will be able to delete your account with the same link.
If you choose to opt out, please note that on March 5th, 2024 you will lose access to Cross Progression, My Rewards, and RED Forums, and all connected data will be permanently deleted.
You can create a new CD PROJEKT RED account at any time.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please visit our support page.
Warm Regards,
GOG and CD PROJEKT RED Teams
My guess is that they just want to separate GOG and their game accounts from each other because they are easier to manage that way. I think in legal sense GOG is still a separate corporate entity even though it's owned by CD Projekt.
According to Wikipedia, GOG sp. z o.o. is still a subsidiary of CD PROJEKT S.A.
They are legally separate entities, but why should that affect customers? Why are CDPR games no longer being sold on the GOG store? This almost would be like if Valve stopped selling Half Life on Steam.
I don't think it has anything to do with being "easier to manage". I think the corporate structure is purely for financial reasons. Valve never spun up a second business for Steam.
I also suspect it has something to do with the fact that GOG is a staunchly DRM free platform. It sounds like either CDPR want to sell games with DRM (which means future titles similar to Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Baldur's Gate 3 would no longer have a DRM-free option, as CDPR would simply have them on their main store rather than GOG), or CDPR want to include DRM in their own games.
Where are you seeing anything saying that CD project red games won't be sold on the GOG store?
Maybe they will be, but "a new account system" sounds to me like a new service, ie a new launcher, and these days launchers are also storefronts.
I understand your concern based on how corporations tend to run these days, but this is a lot of speculation. It’s good to be skeptical though.
My guess is that they want to use a single account across more services unrelated to GOG, akin to the way google SSO works for gmail, YouTube, drive, etc. If the account is owned by a subsidiary that might not be possible for other subsidiaries to use the same account per data regulation rules.
I'd like to think I'm not so much speculating, but rather concerned about what this might mean. There's certainly no apparent reason why splitting CDPR games away from GOG would be good for consumers.
The specific reasoning they've given is pretty clear:
None of these things have a clear advantage in being separated from GOG. GOG is owned by CDPR, GOG is a CDPR subsidiary. CDPR have full authority to dictate how their games are sold on the GOG platform. The only unique thing about GOG is the DRM-free position.
By separating CDPR games from GOG, they can separate CDPR games from the DRM-free position, without facing the inevitable backlash that doing so would normally face. Then, newer CDPR games won't be bound by the GOG philosophy, while GOG can die off somewhat naturally and without such significant backlash. This could be seen as commercially preferable over the current situation for a publicly traded company such as CDPR.
I am making assumptions, but that is the very nature of future predictions. I ask if you could make any other assumption that really challenges mine.
I don't see any reason to believe that it would be different from the rockstar launcher. You can still buy rockstar games from steam.
Their games might end up on both, but when it comes to a new 3rd party game being put on CDPR store with DRM or GOG store without DRM, which do you think will happen? Long term, do you think GOG would survive if CDPR shift their focus to another store?
It's not really the same as Rockstar Launcher and Steam, because Rockstar don't own Steam.
This is probably more the opposite way round than you're thinking of it.
A CDPR launcher can be bundled with steam games, perhaps they have tried and been stopped from bundling GoG with CDPR games.
Possibly. However, that still doesn't really fit in with the way CDPR have worked up to now.
Since Cyberpunk 2077 their behaviour has changed.
Because they are not doing it because of customers, they are more likely doing it for themselves. It's easier to manage things on a corporate level when the data is also separated similarly as their companies are.