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Steam Now Warns Consumers That They're Buying a License, Not a Game During a Purchase
(www.cgmagonline.com)
this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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If there's an offline game you love and play all the time, consider buying it again on GOG.com.
Soon, GOG and all other storefronts will state that you're purchasing a temporary digital license for any game who's publisher uses an EULA that states you don't own the game. This is due to the recently signed California law that forces storefronts to be transparent about the publishers EULA.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/26/24254922/california-digital-purchase-disclosure-law-ab-2426
That's not GOG works. Get your offline installers.
On a legal level, it is how GOG works. They still only sell licenses. You just have the loophole that their installers and the games installed by them will work regardless.
While that may be partly true, (also likely) depending on the county you're located, they're not able to revoke the license though.
So in this specific case you having the files makes a world of difference.
But then the same is also true for Steam
Err.. You often don't have the files drm free on Steam. Nor in an installable format (without steam).
Anyhow. Seeing the down votes I'd love for some to elaborate.
Otherwise it just looks like some rampant steam fanboys.
Also I forgot to reply to this on the other answer, but:
Often you do, and an installer is nothing more than a fancy zipped folder. Also people usually like to compare Steam with GoG and claim that on GoG you get DRM free games and not on Steam, that is not true, both have either, although GoG has percentually more it's still not 100% DRM free (nor is Steam 100% DRMd), it's always up to the game developers.
It is a difference if you get stuff prepackaged in a uniform format.
But full agreement on the rest, yes with steam tendency to include drm (especially if new aaa) and gog hopefully not (but sometimes failing) as it still is their selling point.
This is what you said:
The same is true for Steam, laws are laws
You also have the files if you downloaded them on Steam. What's important is whether those files can be used on their own or if they're protected by some form of DRM. If the files can be used on their own it doesn't matter if you got them from Steam, GoG or a physical disc. If on the other hand the files are DRM protected you having them is useless, whoever controls the DRM controls your files, again regardless of where you got the files from.
Okay let's chalk this up to some language barrier or cultural misunderstanding then. 😁
Thanks.