For everyone who’s interested in old PC games, there’s really no way around Good Old Games – GOG for short. The next mission for the platform? Bringing more classic Japanese titles to the PC, with a stark focus on technical polish without creating a discrepancy with the cultural authenticity.
If you’re in the PC-gaming space, chances are you’re using Steam anyway, but that doesn’t mean that platforms like GOG don’t have a place in the hearts – and hard drives – of many gamers.
GOG takes a completely different approach, and it’s one of curation and preservation first and foremost. By tackling these Japanese classics, like they did with Dino Crisis 1 & 2, GOG is speaking directly to nostalgic players wanting to relive memories of yesteryear.
GOG Japanese Releases
Speaking to Automaton, senior PR rep Piotr Gnyp said GOG are focusing on releasing titles both old and new. “GOG has been doing this for well over a decade, and we’re constantly reaching out to secure iconic games.
“Sometimes, it takes years. Diablo came to GOG after almost a decade of conversations. Preservation often means knocking on the same doors again and again, hearing ‘no’ most of the time, until one day, it’s finally a ‘yes.'”
He continued by addressing the recent string of Japanese releases. After Capcom agreed to let GOG re-release Dino Crisis and the first three instalments of Resident Evil, Gnyp said: “Working with Japanese partners often requires demonstrating both technical capability and cultural understanding.
“In this case, Capcom treated these launches as full new releases, so we followed a complete QA and certification process, just like we would for a brand-new game.”
There was a time in gaming history, especially around the mid ‘90’s, where Japanese releases dominated the market. It’s no wonder either, since the dominant consoles – the PS1 and the N64, for example – were both developed by Japanese companies, long before Microsoft shook up the market with the original XBOX.
So we can only imagine, that GOG is sticking to its namesake, by putting even more effort on to classic titles, without falling into the lazy PC port category. The company is trying their best to deliver stable emulation, optimized performance and notorious bugs that might’ve plagued many of the best selling games on the PS1 for example.
Retro Fans Can Look Forward to This
For PC players, this initiative is a win on multiple fronts. It means easier access to games that were once Japan-only, better preservation of cult classics, and fewer hoops to jump through compared to unofficial emulation. It also strengthens GOG’s reputation as a platform that values quality and authenticity over sheer volume.
While no specific titles have been confirmed yet, the message is clear; if you’ve been waiting to revisit Japanese classics legally and with modern support, GOG is stepping up to make it happen.
