King’s Bounty: Warriors of the North Release Date Announced / Pre-Order Available

[Sir Whiskers]

Originally Posted by Mygaffer

While I love Steam and have over 300 games in my Steam account I think people resent having their only option to play the game be tied to a Steam account.

MG, thanks for your thoughtful post. I am one of the folks you refer to. I have never purchased (leased?) a title from Steam and doubt I ever will, for various reasons. I certainly understand that many customers have had a good experience with them, but I'm not willing to purchase from them, given their current business model.

Originally Posted by Mygaffer

while I own The Legend and Crossworlds on Steam I also bought a second copy on GOG.com of The Legend because it was a DRM-free installer. That is something us PAYING customers value, pirates don't care what DRM you use. I would likely purchase a copy of KB:WotN from other services that do not have the Steamworks DRM, such as Impulse.


So not only have I bought a second copy from GOG.com but if you would also release Crossworlds on GOG.com I would buy it in a second. Literally, I will spend the money all over again to have the game DRM free even though I use and enjoy Steam.

I purchased my original copy of KB:CW from Impulse and a second copy of KB:TL from GOG, primarily so I don't have keep the original CD-ROM in my computer. I would happily purchase KB:WotN from Impulse, if offered. I have no issue with activation limits, so long as I can recover them by uninstalling the game - it's the other DRM/Steam issues I choose not to accept. And I likely would purchase a backup via GOG, if KB:CW or KB:WotN are offered there.

I certainly understand why developers are concerned enough about piracy - especially when a game is first released - to want a DRM option. But as a buyer, I choose to opt out of such games. If 1C releases the game later without DRM, I'll snap it up. Unfortunately, that means I have to wait, and 1C will likely get less money from me (later releases are usually discounted), but that's the company's option. They aren't doing anything wrong by offering only Steamworks, but they are limiting their pool of potential customers.

To those who do get the game - enjoy!