GOG has added video game documentaries to its library of products in an attempt to convince Hollywood studios to let them distribute DRM-free films. Winning over big Hollywood hasn’t been as rough as one might think, but the two parties have have hit a major snag on one issue.
GOG’s North American Boss Guillaume Rambourg claims that no Hollywood studio wants to distribute their films through the website unless another studio does it first, just to make sure there’s no risk.
“In our first round of talks, the response was largely, ‘We love your ideas, but we do not want to be the first ones. We will gladly follow, but until somebody else does it first, we do not want to take the risk.’ Most studio officials agreed that DRM is pointless, but were quick to add that the lawyers would not allow them to get rid of it.”
When trapped in this situation of corporate chicken, you turn to the next best place to gain some traction and prove this could work: the indie market. And what’s a better way for a video game website to sell movies than to sell movies about video games?
GOG already has a library of 21 documentaries up and running on its site, including favorite hits like Indie Game: The Movie – Special Edition, 100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience, The King of Arcades and Pixel Poetry. Each can be purchased or streamed for $5.99 during the launch sale, but they will be raised to $11.99 afterwards.
Sadly, no King of Kong yet, though. GOG says it will add new documentaries every week, so it could only be a matter of time.
Source: GOG