Frequent customers of Steam competitor Good Old Games may want to think twice before purchasing Armello on their preferred storefront. Developer League of Geeks has renamed the game Armello DRM Free Edition and will not support DLC on GOG because of the storefront's DRM-free policy. Armello is a digital board game set in a medieval land where anthropomorphic animals battle it out to become king or queen. Even though other games do support parity and DLC on the platform, Armello remains a notable exception.
Trent Kusters, Director and Founder of League of Geeks, made the announcement on the developer's official forums.
"There's no way for us to provide DLC for DRM Free users," said Kusters. "Or to attempt to retain parity with the Steam version of Armello." Kusters went on to claim they were seeking the best possible experience for DRM-free Armello players.
"Armello DRM Free Edition will see features that best suit a DRM Free experience," Kusters stated. "Picked across from other platforms into early-mid 2017, helping LoG & GoG (lol) reach our mutual goal of providing users the best possible DRM Free Armello experience."
Many GOG users expressed their disappointment in the page comments for unknowingly buying an inferior version of the game, and not being told beforehand. Some backers who supported the game and brought it to life had no notice of the DLC restriction, and others might have selected GOG only to be told they have chosen the wrong version. As of now, the only way to get the complete version of the game with all future updates is to re-purchase the game on Steam. Though it is a mystery which specific updates will be supported and which will not, League of Geeks has made the soundtrack DLC available on GOG in the past.
"The thing is, not properly supporting your products is a bad signal to give off when you're working on a multiplatform release," GOG forum poster Fortuk posted. "What's to say they won't drop those after release as well? Likewise, making it clear in that way that you're not treating your customers equally is not a good way to make people trust your product. Putting a game up for sale somewhere is a commitment that doesn't stop once it seizes to be wholly favourable to the seller."
"I was thinking about buying Armello, because it looked lovely," forum poster Contra001 wrote. "But I'm definitely not supporting these practices. It's a pity."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4e5s28x7Ps
At first, it might seem the DLC is incompatible because the DLC-owning players couldn't be paired with players who hadn't bought the DLC, but this proves not to be the case. Players on Steam have also been experiencing pop-ups in-game for the DLC, including players who already own the Usurpers Hero Pack. As recently as 10 days ago, League of Geeks had discussed looking into ways to add the DLC into the game, but it appears none of the avenues they looked at were possible.
This news highlights an ongoing problem where GOG customers seem to constantly get the short end of the stick. This particular case sets a precedent for future developers to consider DRM over supporting their customers. GOG mentioned a celebration for the 'new' launch with a 25 percent off sale for the launch of Armello DRM-Free Edition, yet Steam users are receiving an identical 25 percent off for the game's one-year anniversary. League of Geeks promised to support the game with updates into mid-2017 but did not give any specifics.
Armello's first DLC, "The Usurpers Hero Pack," is available now on Steam for $9.99
We've reached out to Armello's developers and will update when we learn more.
-Thanks to user MIK for sending this tip in!
What's your opinion on League of Geek's statement? Why do you think GOG has repeatedly received inferior versions of games? Could they have handled this better? Let us know in the comments below!
