GOG wants to bring back physical editions of games, but it is extremely complicated!

Sony kicked up a lot of dust, which hasn't completely settled yet, with its decision to stop selling games in physical editions. The shift in Sony's philosophy has opened up a new space in the market for a platform like GOG, which seeks to do the exact opposite and offer players the option to choose whether they want a physical or digital edition when purchasing a game on the platform.

Senior business development and partnerships manager Marcin Paczynski spoke to GamesRadar about this "dream." I am convinced that a large number of—especially hardcore—fans of older games would automatically jump at that, even when considering that GOG's distribution model of DRM-free copies is the closest thing to true ownership of what we buy. However, for now, it remains only a strong desire held by him and the company, as something like this brings with it a great deal of legal and various other complications.

The first issues concern logistics and storage, because as a platform fully focused on digital distribution, GOG would have to establish an entirely new, complete supply chain of physical production, warehousing, and global shipping, which, just as it sounds, is not an easy task at all and certainly does not come cheap.

Other complications relate to the contracts with developers themselves. GOG currently holds distribution agreements that cover only digital rights, so the potential sale of physical editions would require completely new contracts for every single publisher.

One of the novelties and parallel initiatives GOG is currently developing is enabling players to download official 3D models and artwork so they can print and assemble retro Big Box packaging for select classics themselves. It is all part of their Preservation Program and their ambition to save games from "death."