GOG is the most reliably DRM-free store in PC Gaming, and has built its reputation on that concept for years now. Understandably, GOG diehards were pretty upset when Hitman released on the store a few weeks ago with its extensive always-online DRM features intact. “”This game is not DRM free in any meaningful sense,” said one very on-the-nose review.
GOG community manager Gabriela Siemienkowicz has followed up on the problems, now, as promised a couple weeks ago. “We’re still in dialogue with IO Interactive about this release. Today we have removed HITMAN GOTY from GOG’s catalog – we shouldn’t have released it in its current form, as you’ve pointed out,” she posted under username chandra on the GOG forums. “We’d like to apologise for the confusion and anger generated by this situation. We’ve let you down and we’d like to thank you for bringing this topic to us – while it was honest to the bone, it shows how passionate you are towards GOG.”
Community response has been generally positive, though some users are still angry that GOG’s initial statements implied that their negative ratings of Hitman were “review bombing.”
The release of IO Interactive’s Hitman on GOG was anything but DRM free, with multiple game modes and basic unlocks like starting positions, weapons, and costumes locked behind an online connection. This is despite the GOG store page’s statement that the game was “DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.”
Good spot, Eurogamer.