GOG has launched a new initiative titled FreedomToBuy.games to stand against censorship in the realm of video games, offering a package of 13 games considered NSFW for free. This decision has provoked an overwhelming response, as one million users claimed the games in the first 24 hours, surpassing all expectations of the platform. The GOG team has been forced to work tirelessly to maintain system stability, given the unexpected volume of downloads.
Neither Visa nor Mastercard are afraid
The promotion is available only until midnight EST today, which adds a sense of urgency to the action. Additionally, GOG has expressed its interest in offering more bundles in the future, suggesting the possibility of continuing this collective protest. In its statement, GOG emphasizes that the movement is not only focused on NSFW games but represents a broader opposition to censorship in video games, warning that any title could be removed if there is enough pressure from specific groups.
The DRM-free nature of the download ensures that users will keep the games they purchased in their library, with no risk of them being removed in the future. This aspect is crucial, according to GOG, which emphasizes that “any game that disappears today becomes exponentially harder to recover later”. The FreedomToBuy website also offers developers the opportunity to donate their games as part of this protest, indicating that the initiative could continue to grow.
The enthusiastic response to FreedomToBuy highlights the growing concern about censorship in the video game industry. As the initiative states: “Some games disappear, not because they have broken the law, but because someone decided they should not exist.” This underscores the risk that, if current trends continue, any game could be delisted if a sufficiently large group demands it.
