Hello all, I do have selfish reasons for posing this, but it would be nice for fans of all these games to be able to purchase them. My main question is: What can we, as consumers and customers, do to get companies to release games here?

A GoFundMe to get a pool of money to 'persuade' the companies to release?

A Change.org post showing people are interested in having these games for sale on GOG?

There's license issues I understand, but surely if we show we're willing to put money in their pockets for these games, surely they'd be interested in that. We don't know if anyone at GOG has reached out to these companies; maybe it's all a pipe dream, but I'd love to see the following games on here:

Mechcommander
Mechcommander 2
Mechwarrior 2
Mechwarrior 2 Mercs
Mechwarrior 3
Mechwarrior 3 Pirate's Moon
Mechwarrior 4 Vengeance
Mechwarrior 4 Black Knight
Mechwarrior 4 Mercs
Starfleet Command II (w/ Orion Pirates)
AC 3
AC 4
FC 3
FC 4

There's many more, but you get the point. I know this might be a waste of time. I'm just wondering if we put our heads together we might be able to come up w/ ideas on how to get these games (and others) released. Or am I living in dreamland? Thank you for reading.

In regards to MechCommander 1 & 2 you'd have to talk to Microsoft, which I'm sure GOG has already done, probably on numerous occasions.
Chances are they simply aren't interested in these two classics being preserved, let alone sold again.

In regards to Assassin's Creed 3 & 4, as well as Far Cry 3 & 4 - Ubisoft seems to be not interested in releasing anything DRM-free (besides what is already sold on GOG, including the original Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and Far Cry 2), at this point in time at least.

They also have other more pressing issues on their hands right now.

In general the most proven course of action still might just be to keep voting on the community wishlist and hope for the best.

That's my worry about MS. It's a wonder they let Battletech. MW5 Mercs. and Clans loose. It was always a wonder to me why they allowed those games to be made but not let their previous titles be re-released. Just seems like they're leaving money on the table. I mean if GOG has (probably) reached out multiple times to MS, what's the hold up? Principle? Not enough percentage of sales? It would be nice to know.

As for Ubisoft, yes I've kept up w/ the news. There's always the hope that after they right the ship they may release their earlier AC and FC games. Again it comes down to the money I suppose.

So you think trying to get a GoFundMe or a Change.org thing going wouldn't change anything? It's a shame. Those are good games and I believe they would make GOG, MS, and Ubisoft a lot of money. I guess there's more going on than this 'pleb' can see.

It is always about money. If they knew each game you listed was going to make them $50M per game here, you'd see it here by next week.

Wishlist, bug them repeatedly about it, and get more paying customers on this platform to increase its overall market share and then we might get a chance at those games coming here.

But if you're talking about getting someone at the company to ask their corporate lawyers to find out who has ownership over an old IP, talk to other stakeholders' lawyers to work out a deal (if applicable), then ask a software project manager to find a third-party porter, and QC it all for $30K USD net revenue, it becomes a very very low priority for these companies.

Money is a very strong incentive - more so, than a +1 on a Wishlist or voicing interest in a GOG release. Minds can change over time about games that one was longing for so badly, to get released on GOG in addition to other stores or rental platforms. When too much time passes and a game is available on others stores, and when these games are released on GOG years later, based on continously up-voting them - and at the same time tirelessly petitioning developers or publishers as some members of this fine community do on a regular basis - they might not sell as well, as they could have, were more publishers and developers willing, to give it a chance, without the expectation to earn oodles of money. Such expectations are doomed to end in a big dissappointment, in an overwhelming majority of cases, even when it is sad where it indeed a passion project.

This is only the personal dimension, adding to them factors like bugged releases and abandoned projects, leaving behind a wreck of a game which was strongly anticipated and thousands of times wished for, will not make any sales. On the other side there are developers and publishers, who might not see GOG as a source to create a revenue, large enough, to warrant the additional work to release it here.

If in addition to putting +1 on numerous Wishlist entries - which, it must be confessed doesn't mean that a person is interested in any of the games he or she is voting for - but doing so to signal support to those, genuinely wishing for releases and the willingness to buy upon their release, an option to also pay a certain amount per individual with the goal to reach the target amount would present a very strong argument. Every person willing to pay a small amount of money to support a release, will also have a real interest in paying the rest of the sum, once it has been released. There could be incentives like a higher discount, to make this even more interesting, specifically when the title in question is AA/AAA, but it isn't strictly necessary or even important to make this work.

Of main importance is that a threshold can be reached, for instance 500 customers investing - or willing to invest money, to get these games to GOG, when at the same time a publisher or developer is willing to commit to a release on this platform and based on the outlook to earn money right away.

Since nobody can know who amongst them would be interested - some would still decline, despite a secure number of sales, and with the expectation that when titles are AA/AAA they are attracting a larger crowd to buy in addition upon release, with and without discount, there also has to be a way to transfer the amount paid to more promising candidates, whose developer or publisher will gladly be willing to sell on GOG - knowing, that they are going to create revenue and earn a certain amount right from the beginning.

If it is going to be tried and going to achieve its purpose, the only risk factor is that this could become a tool to strongarm customers into wish-listing and paying first and only then would a release of games and - because DLC are not always guaranteed to be sold on GOG and have to be begged for or wishlisted, that only once people are willing to pay to show their commitment, would these publishers and developers be willing, to do so. I'm convinced that ways can be found to avert this risk, by only allowing this to be used once per any game of any publisher and developer, presently not represented on GOG.

That having been said, your idea is very good and I'm in strong support of it - because it has promise to attract publishers and developers not previously considering GOG and also out of the strong conviction that this can and will work.

There is the cost/profit margin. I get that. Yes, video games are still a niche market so MS, Ubisoft, and other companies would have to weigh both sides. I just want to get the word out that there is a market for these games. That these companies would see profit. We all know the kind of trouble Ubisoft is in. It would be a boon for them to release their early FC and AC games here for, say, $29.99 a piece. In my opinion, people would come racing to this site to buy those games. I'm not saying they'd be rolling in the dough but they would make a healthy profit. I just want to see these games here and want to work w/ others towards that goal.

Early Mechwarrior: Not happening. Not unless someone can untangle the "Unseen" mess. (FASA used designs from anime and then it turns out maybe they shouldn't.)

As for the rest? Ehh, maybe.

The big publishers are more and more about control and a captive audience, so they're generally opposed to DRM-free releases as a matter of principle. And those with their own stores are generally opposed to releasing their games on any others, Steam typically being the one exception just because they know that's where most sales are AND they're also allowed to apply their own DRM, plus tracking and whatever else, on top of Steam's.

Crowdfunding may work for titles where the problem are rights or which require a whole lot of dedicated work to get working again, so those problematic rights may be purchased or that work may be funded. But for something from the catalog of one of the big players? It'd likely take millions to even get them to notice... And if that would happen, it may well backfire, as in they'll never even consider releasing anything without those millions paid in advance.

Pester devs on the Steam forum or their Discord, that's what I did. Apart from that, go to the wishlist and vote for games.

As for the crowdfunding idea (like GoFundMe), I don't really think you could rally enough people, could be worth a try or two though.

This is incorrect. Video games are the biggest market in the entertainment industry.
It's no longer 'underground' or 'niche' anymore. It's a $200B/yr business now - https://gamerhub.co.uk/gaming-industry-dominates-as-the-highest-grossing-entertainment-industry/ The main question to ask is if the whole effort is worth it.

After my 9-5 day job, I can also do some part-time work at a restaurant . Maybe I can earn an extra $60 for another 4 hours of work each day. It's still profitable in the end, right? However, why does no one do this despite it being possible to do so? It's because it's not worth the effort compared the result you get from your day job.

It's the same principle when these AAA devpubs evaluate if they should port over their old games to GOG. It's just not worth the trouble or effort when they can go about focusing their resources on their actual day job - making AAA games with MTX that will make them hundreds of millions a year compared to re-releasing an old game that will only make them like $100K/yr at best - at least on GOG.

For all we know the rather successful pro-active approach GOG took with the original Resident Evil trilogy, as in:

1. (secretly) put together several builds/release candidates at one's own expense and
2. reach out to and politely ask the respective rights holder - in this case Capcom - if they would mind having the game(s) (or the port(s) of the game(s)) in question sold through GOG at no additional cost other than the standard 30% cut

might just have caught on with other publishers/rights holders, and they already have several highly requested re-releases in the works/pipeline/ready to be announced, as of this writing.

Practically speaking the best thing is to keep buying stuff here and tell others to do the same, which makes GOG a little big bigger and makes it a bit more attractive in the eyes of the publishers.

There have been some cases where very active fans of some games have been able to connect the right people and GOG to negotiate the (re)release of some old game.

Beyond those two things, there isn't much that you can do. If you have a lot of followers on YouTube or whatever, maybe make a video about it? If you happen to be a millionaire or something, maybe buy the distribution rights?

Connecting right people with GOG is probably the most effective thing, but not an option for an average customer, I suppose.

Enough money can do just about anything. To take it to an extreme, with enough money, you could literally outright buy these IPs (i.e. buy the rights to Battletech), and then you could do whatever you want with them. Tbh, that's probably what it would take to see the older MW games on here - the IP rights taken out of the hands that are currently holding them and paced in hands that are sympathetic to DRM-free.

Best thing we could do is find some Elon Musk-type billionaire who would be willing to champion DRM-free gaming.