GOG is Leaving CD Projekt to Go Home to Its "Real Dad"

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Written By NLM Team

The prodigal storefront returns to its father, and for once, a corporate acquisition actually sounds like good news for the consumer.

The gog.com logo, presented as white block letters on a purple starry galaxy background, with the nebula visible through the cutouts of the text.

In a move that feels surprisingly wholesome for the usually cold, dead heart of the games industry, GOG is officially splitting from the CD PROJEKT Group. The platform has been acquired by Michał Kiciński, one of the original co-founders of both CD PROJEKT and GOG itself. Effectively, GOG is moving out of the big corporate apartment to go back to its roots, and Kiciński is footing the bill to ensure the "Good Old Games" philosophy doesn't get strangled by modern shareholder demands.

The Great Uncoupling

So why the breakup? It seems amicable enough. CD PROJEKT wants to focus purely on making massive, 100-hour RPGs like The Witcher and Cyberpunk, while GOG wants to double down on being the last bastion of digital ownership. Kiciński put it bluntly, stating that "GOG stands for freedom, independence, and genuine control".

In an era where Ubisoft tells you to get comfortable not owning your games, hearing an owner say the exact opposite is refreshing. The goal here is simple: keep games alive, easy to find, and playable forever without mandatory clients or always-online nonsense.

What This Means For Your Hoarded Backlog

Panic not. Your library isn't going anywhere.

  • Your Games Are Safe: Your account, offline installers, and cloud saves remain exactly where they are.

  • CDPR Games Stay: You can still buy Cyberpunk 2077 and future CDPR titles on GOG.

  • DRM-Free is King: The split is specifically designed to protect the DRM-free model from corporate pressure.

The biggest takeaway is that GOG is now independent in its operations. This means no pressure to add intrusive DRM just to please a board of directors who don't play video games. The funds from GOG Patrons will also stay strictly within the platform to support preservation efforts like the "rescue missions" planned for 2026.

I have always had a soft spot for GOG. It does the unglamorous work of fixing old code so I can play Jazz Jackrabbit on a Windows 11 machine without crying. If this acquisition means they get to keep doing that without interference, I am all for it.

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NLM Team
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