Michał Kiciński, co-founder of GOG, has acquired the DRM-free PC gaming store from CD Projekt Red and pledged to maintain its core anti-DRM policy. In a recent interview, he outlined plans to grow the platform by targeting niche markets despite competition from Steam. This move ensures continuity for GOG's 18-year commitment to unrestricted game access.
At the close of 2025, CD Projekt Red sold its PC gaming store GOG to Michał Kiciński, who co-founded the platform in 2008 originally as Good Old Games. The store began by offering classic titles stripped of outdated digital rights management (DRM) software, which often hindered legitimate players through installation limits, disc requirements, and mandatory online checks. Over time, GOG expanded to newer releases but upheld its refusal to sell DRM-protected games, a policy in place for the past 18 years.
Kiciński, absent from the companies for 13 years, won the acquisition through a bidding process against an unnamed rival. Speaking to GI.biz, he emphasized untapped potential for GOG, dismissing Steam's 80% market dominance as an opportunity rather than a barrier. 'I see huge opportunities for GOG to grow,' he stated. 'And somebody might say that having a competitor like Steam with 80 percent of the market share is a huge obstacle, but to me it’s the opposite.'
Rather than mimicking Steam, GOG aims to excel in specific areas, such as classic games and titles from independent developers open to DRM-free distribution. Examples include Clair Obscur and Hollow Knight: Silksong, which launched simultaneously on GOG and Steam. As part of the deal, CD Projekt Red's titles, including those from the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 series, will stay available on GOG for at least six more years.
The anti-DRM ethos remains central, described by Kiciński as both ethical and practical. 'It’s a core value of GOG, and there’s no signs that it might die in any visible future,' he told GI.biz. He critiqued industry practices bluntly: 'Most corporate people, they make plain stupid decisions.' This stance persists amid ongoing DRM debates, where such systems continue to affect digital game performance without effectively curbing piracy.
