GOG Announces New DRM-Free Reclamation Service

Published: April 3, 2015 9:28 PM /

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GOG News

PC Gamers and Digital Rights Management, more commonly known as DRM, have rarely gotten along. Often touted as an anti-piracy measure, most gamers recall the horror stories of DRM breaking game launches, intruding on single-player experiences, and ruining otherwise great games.

Gamers are not the only ones who believe the prevalence of DRM-laden games is doing the industry more harm than good. GOG.com has fought against the relentless regime of DRM for years.

The latest announcement from GOG continues the crusade against DRM: The new reclaim service. This service, announced on April 2nd, allows you to receive digital copies of select retail games that are now broken or unplayable because of unsupported DRM or other incompatibilities.

This reclamation service is completely free. If you still have the game key, you can receive your digital copy free of charge, free of DRM, and updated to be compatible with newer operating systems.

Actually reclaiming your game is a simple process. You just need the original game key that came along with the boxed copy and enter that code. Keep in mind that a key is only redeemable once, even if you redeem it somewhere besides GOG. You will receive more than just the game, though: whatever additional bonus goods that GOG offers, including the latest patches, are included when you redeem your key.

Games redeemed in this way are officially treated as a giveaway, so they are not eligible for refunds.

At time of writing, this service is only available for a select few titles.

Editions released worldwide: -S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl -S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky -S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

Editions released only in CIS & Russian territories: -Mount & Blade: Warband -Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword -Eador: Genesis

While the current list is rather restrictive, over $250,000 worth of games have already been reclaimed completely free of DRM. GOG plans to add more titles in the future.

What do you think of GOG’s attempts to free gaming from DRM? Will you be making use of this new service? What other games would you like to see added to the reclamation service?

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I'm an ex-carnie who has been gaming and writing since I was a kid. Lately you can find me over-thinking in RPGs or failing my way through a plethora… More about Clint