GOG to Sell Cheap Downloads of Classic PC Games; Offerings Lack DRM, Include Fallout Series

Black Isle Studios' post-apocalyptic RPGs Fallout and Fallout 2 will be among the many long-lost PC titles soon re-released by Good Old Games, a new online venture from The Witcher (PC) developer CD Projekt.

Located at GOG.com and slated to launch in September, the online store will sell DRM-free digital downloads of old-school PC games at $5.99 or $9.99 a pop. A closed public beta will go live on August 1, with the site currently accepting beta applications.

"Our main goal is to try and deliver the best games of all time for PC," marketing VP Tom Ohle explained to Shacknews during an in-depth interview.

The site will initially carry titles from publishers Interplay and Codemasters, including the previously-mentioned Fallout series, MDK 1 and 2, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Freespace 1 and 2, Sacrifice, Descent 1-3 and Kingpin: Life of Crime.

While a full list of the store's launch offerings has yet to be finalized, other games slated to appear by September include Shattered Steel, Jagged Alliance 2, Redneck Rampage, Operation: Flashpoint, Colin McRae, and TOCA Race Driver 3.

Each game sports full compatibility with Windows XP and Vista, and does not require any sort of online activation. To eliminate compatibility issues, the team has source code access to most games and will be creating custom installers for each title.

Once purchased, a title can be re-downloaded an unlimited number of times, allowing users to install the game on multiple machines.

"We want to make sure it's as easy as possible for people who legitimately bought [the game] to play it and download again," Ohle noted. "No matter what you put in your game, there's always going to be piracy."

In addition to retro game downloads, the site will boast a number of community features, including message boards, user reviews and game guides for select titles.

Ohle revealed that LucasArts' beloved catalog of PC games represents one of the "holy grails" CD Projekt hopes to offer one day. That lineup includes adventure games such as the Monkey Island series, Sam & Max: Freelance Police and Grim Fandango, along with Totally Games' space combat simulators X-Wing and TIE Fighter.

For more details on Good Old Games, including specifics on the beta and the possibilities of game enhancements such as achievements, check out the full interview with Ohle.