An indie boss praises GOG’s preservation — but says it still can’t beat Steam

Why this matters: an indie publisher wants GOG to win – but doesn’t think it will

This caught my attention because Dave Oshry isn’t some detached critic – he runs New Blood, the indie label behind games like Dusk, Ultrakill and the upcoming Fallout London. Oshry praised GOG’s DRM-free philosophy, one‑click mod installers and preservation work, but told RPG Site (as reported by PC Gamer) that those strengths don’t translate into enough users or convenience to topple Steam.

• Oshry credits GOG for preservation, mod support and DRM-free installs.
• He argues GOG lacks the active userbase and everyday convenience Steam provides.
• The conversation matters now because GOG has new ownership and the industry is debating store competition, discovery, and preservation.

Breaking down Oshry’s point: praise with a practical caveat

Oshry’s position is straightforward: he wants GOG to succeed. He applauds the preservation work – the fact you can buy classics that Steam either sells with strings attached or doesn’t offer at all — and he likes practical features like GOG’s mod tools and the option to run games without a launcher. Those are real differentiators for older titles and mod‑heavy releases like Fallout London.

But praise isn’t the same as market reality. Oshry points to a shift in the ecosystem that started when Steam “opened the floodgates” to classic games; once Steam became a one‑stop shop for new releases and legacy titles, GOG’s niche began to shrink. He estimates the share of these kinds of sales on Steam fell from “closer to 5 or 10%” down to “1 to 5%,” and says that without a comparable userbase or convenience, GOG struggles to convert everyday players.

Where GOG actually shines — and where it still trips up

GOG’s advantages are real: DRM‑free installs, the ability to keep local copies, and curated packages of older games that are sometimes unavailable on Steam (Oshry name‑checked things like Diablo 1, Ultima Underworld and the original Resident Evil builds). GOG Galaxy adds helpful features like collection syncing and one‑click mod installs, which lower the barrier for players who’d otherwise wrestle with manual modding.

But Oshry also flagged friction: even with Galaxy, some classic games still require fiddling to run on modern systems. He described installing The Journeyman Project on GOG as “a pain in the ass,” a nostalgia fix that lasted five minutes before he uninstalled. For many players, that friction — even when it’s surmountable — is decisive. Convenience wins attention and wallets, and Steam’s polish is hard to beat.

Why this conversation is happening now

The timing matters. GOG recently changed owners, and its new stewardship has been vocal about improving the platform. At the same time, the broader debate over storefront competition, discovery and preservation is heating up — Valve faces legal scrutiny in the UK over how it runs Steam, and Epic continues to push incentives like giveaways and exclusives. For preservationists and modders, GOG feels like a cultural safeguard; for most players, it still lacks Steam’s habit‑forming convenience.

What this means for indies and players

For indie publishers, the calculus is messy. A DRM‑free storefront that treats classics and mods well is attractive on principle and can be a selling point for certain communities. But Oshry’s blunt reminder — “what’s 100% of zero?” when talking about Epic’s freebies — applies here too: a platform only helps your sales if people are there to buy. Indies will keep using multiple storefronts, but many will still prioritize Steam for reach unless GOG grows its active audience or dramatically smooths the UX for older titles.

Looking ahead

GOG’s preservation and user‑friendly DRM stance remain valuable. The question is whether better ownership and incremental UX wins can turn goodwill into a habit change for players. Oshry’s takeaway is a guarded one: “I love their preservation efforts,” he said, “but they need enough people to give a shit, or how long are they even going to be around?” That’s both a challenge and a roadmap — grow the audience, keep the preservation, and kill the friction.

TL;DR

Oshry gives GOG credit where it’s due — DRM‑free installs, mod tools and preservation matter — but argues those strengths don’t outweigh Steam’s dominant userbase and polish. For now, GOG remains a beloved specialist, not a Steam rival, unless adoption and convenience improve.