GOG store announces new ownership as it splits from CD Projekt Group

The DRM-free games store GOG is now under new ownership, with it officially splitting from the parent company CD Projekt Group.

GOG

The DRM-free games store GOG originally began as Good Old Games in 2008 under CD Projekt. Focused on giving PC gamers a completely digital rights management-free experience, the GOG store has slowly expanded its offerings and partnerships with publishers over the years, just as CD Projekt's game development team became a world-renowned studio. Today, CD Projekt and GOG announced that changes are happening behind the scenes.

Michał Kiciński is now the new owner of GOG, as he has acquired 100% of the company's shares, effectively splitting it away from the CD Projekt Group. Kiciński isn't a new face for the venture, as he is one of the co-founders of both CD Projekt and Good Old Games alongside Marcin Iwiński.

“With our focus now fully on an ambitious development roadmap and expanding our franchises with new high-quality products, we felt this was the right time for this move,” said Michał Nowakowski, Joint CEO of CD PROJEKT. “For a long time now, GOG has been operating independently. Now it’s going into very good hands — we are convinced that with the support of Michał Kiciński, one of GOG’s co-founders, its future will be full of great projects and successes."

GOG says that its mission to provide gamers with titles that are "easy to find, buy, download, and play forever" will remain unchanged as an independent company. This means offering DRM-free games will continue to be the main pillar of GOG, along with offline installers and optional launchers.

"This new chapter is about doubling down on that vision," added GOG. "We want to do more to preserve the classics of the past, celebrate standout games of today, and help shape the classics of tomorrow, including new games with real retro spirit."

A handy FAQ with information on how the transition will affect GOG users can be read here.

As for CD Projekt RED fans on the GOG platform, there don't seem to be any plans to stop releasing games on the DRM-free store going forward. A distribution agreement has been signed by both parties to launch upcoming titles from CD Projekt RED, like The Witcher 4 and the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, on GOG. It's unclear if its games will still be day-one launches as before.