GOG Champions Creative Freedom by Selling Banned Indie Game 'Horses'

When the provocative horror game Horses was banned from sale on Steam and the Epic Game Store late last year, it nearly led to the closure of acclaimed Italian studio Santa Ragione due to limited reach to audiences. Amidst these unfortunate delistings, Poland-based online store GOG emerged as a champion, ready to offer a lifeline by making Horses available for purchase.

This bold move came at a time when many gaming platforms were withdrawing titles considered to have adult content, influenced by major payment processors like MasterCard and Visa. GOG's decision was not just about selling a game; it was a stand for creative freedom, galvanizing an anti-censorship movement.

In an interview, GOG's managing director, Maciej Gołębiewski, expressed that the choice was ultimately about freedom. He stated, "We as a company are always ready to take a stand on values - our own and also what we believe are the right values for the industry." He emphasized the importance of creative freedom and criticized the role large payment companies played in determining what is permissible in the gaming industry.

"We are a curated storefront so we are actually playing the games that we are selling"

Michał Kiciński, the new owner of GOG, reinforced this sentiment, noting, "Curation is the privilege and prerogative of each platform... We've played the game and we thought it was very cool." With GOG having become independent from CD Projekt, Kiciński is set on maintaining the platform's focus on classic and quality games while remaining open to new, engaging titles.

Moving forward, GOG's independence allows for a bold approach, as Kiciński stated, "I'm not afraid of risk." While they continue to sell curated new releases, GOG aims to remind gamers of its commitment to preserving classic games and providing a DRM-free experience.

As GOG establishes itself further as a noteworthy alternative to dominant platforms, it hopes to grow its market share against giants like Steam, indicating that as gamers look for alternatives, GOG's carefully curated catalog may attract a larger audience.