So all copies of The Witcher 2 except GOG's copy will ship with SecuROM and a 5 machine limit with unlimited amounts of deauthorization. How else can you not have a reoccurring DRM check while maintaining a 5 concurrent PC limit? That is a shady move to try and herd some customers away from other digital distribution websites. I would expect a move like this from Gamestop and there newly acquired Impulse site, but not this company.

It seems like a potentially asinine move on CD Projekt's part to sabotage their own game with SecuROM in an attempt to drive customers to their own website GOG.com, especially after seeing how much CD Projekt's head honchos dislike DRM.

“Being a player myself, I’m always surprised to see how many companies focus solely on preventing piracy instead of thinking about how they might encourage players to acquire original game copies."

I guess Marcin Iwinski only has a problem with DRM just as long as every copy has it attached, but no problem attaching it to every copy sans those purchased on GOG. I guess he has no problem using DRM as a tool (at the paying customer's expense) to drive a few more people to CD Projekt's GOG website for sales.

“Our aim is to produce games that provide the best and most satisfying playing experience. Copyright protection can’t stand in the way of that. Especially since it makes life difficult for players who acquire legal game copies, that is, those to whom we owe our greatest respect."

Maybe Adam Kicinski should make an addendum to his statement to include '...most satisfying paying experience when purchased solely from GOG.com.' and 'Copyright protection can't stand in the way of that unless you purchased our game anywhere other than GOG.com.'

CD Projekt should either release the game equally on all digital distribution platforms, or don't try and play the white knight card about the evils of DRM all the while using DRM to herd customers for personal gain.

I am all for a site such as Good Old Games and their stance of everything released being DRM free, but no matter how you look at it, Good Old Games pretty much had to be DRM free with all of their games; most are outdated with zero support. Hell, some of the companies of the games being sold are no longer around. In order to sell that sort of software they have to make sure it is playable without DRM such as CD checks, words from the manual, or phone home checks. Making it compatible with Vista and Windows 7 is an added bonus for additional sales.

This is the first modern release of a popular title occurring on GOG (to my knowledge), and CD Projekt wants to cash in on extra sales directly to themselves. I cannot imagine companies such as Valve, Bioware, EA or even Activision attempting to release two variations of one of their new releases and not expect to get demonized in the public's eye. While I do not see a problem with a company wanting to make more of a profit, using DRM to achieve this goal leaves a poor taste for the company. It would have been better if CD Projekt had offered bonuses for ordering through GOG, not punishing those that choose to go elsewhere.

Blame Atari and Namco. They are the publishers who control all other versions of The Witcher 2 except the one on GOG. That's why we are getting it DRM free.

Besides, the game is a multi-million investment on CD Projekt's part, so it is only natural they would want to cash back in on it. They damn well should.

Edit:
Also, they do offer plenty of bonuses for those who buy the game on GOG. Check the game page and see for yourself.

As Skystrider says I'm not sure CD Projekt has much, if any control over how the publishers put the game out on other distribution sites. In fact, it is almost amazing that they got those publishers to agree to even let a brand new game go on GOG.com given that would make it DRM-free there. I'm not sure that was a given.

As it stands they are indeed trying to offer extra goodies to people who buy it through GOG.com rather than elsewhere beyond the no DRM.

EDIT: Okay and Skystrider included my second point while I was writing my post, so I guess you just skip my post entirely. Half-ninja'd!

Is that a known fact then? The publishers have complete control over whatever DRM they want on a product, not CD Projekt?

Not doubting anyone, just want it to be clear.

EnigmaticT - what's GoG's take on the DRM Witcher2 is going to carry elsewhere? Are you allowed to comment on such things?....

it seems to be the current trend with all developers instead them trying the approach of trying to win customers by making a awesome classic of game, making a new fanbase of their game,making sure that the game releases prefect with no bugs....they use the methods that does not work ie pull their hairs out to protect the game work maximum, impose limits, spend a truck load of money on marketing, cry and moan that pirates going to ruin them

but they need to know preventing piracy does not mean that they will buy the game just like that...

Yes, and I think that is the case with every developer that gives distributions right to a publishing company.

So, in this case, CD Projekt gave distribution rights to Atari, Namco and GoG; the former choosed the DRM route, the latter is going DRM free as usual.

Nothing "shady" as the OP implied, just standard practice. developer != publisher Wait, what?!
That is what is happening normally right now; take for example EA: they distribute via retail, EA Store, Steam and other DD services... each version have some different layer of DRM attached

Look at other markets with digital distribution for comparison. Book publishers have dabbled in DRM irrespective of what the author of the book wants.

I hate online activation, but it's definitely not worse than any other online activation scheme out there, heck if you want to compare with Steam you might install the game on an unlimited number of PC but technically your are only supposed to play it on one at time, here you can on five.

And at least with CDP you know that there is a huge chance of having the DRM removed in a patch sometime down the road. I have no idea what you mean by that... Except that they already do it nearly every time, games have different DRM depending of the retailers they are released on and have exclusive bonus/DLC depending where they are released or which version you are buying.

How would it know if you are playing it on 5 machines and thus, to deny the 6th, if it isn't "calling home".

Maybe there is an alternative explanation. Something along the lines of competition between DRM free and DRM full systems. CDP being the creator of the game TW2 surely can negotiate an exception for their own GOG store while otherwise relying on a publisher (Atari?) to distribute the game with a nowadays standard DRM. For CDP it makes sense to use as many distribution channels as possible. For Atari it makes sense to rely on DRM as they always did. For both partners it makes sense to approve each others different notions about the need for DRM and because they profit from each other, there is this hybrid way of distribution. There is actually nothing bad about it. You can buy it in the flavor that you like. I am glad, there is the GOG version. Something wrong with buying at GOG? What you suggested sounded a little bit like it is a conspiracy of GOG??

For the world it's a great social experiment. I am so curious about relative sales numbers for the DRM full and DRM free channel. I really hope, somebody will publish these numbers. It would be so interesting to know them. TW2 is the only experiment so far, that I know of, where you can compare directly the attractiveness of DRM free with an otherwise unchanged DRM full product. Great!

Like every other similar DRM does, you need to activate the game online on each new computer (or if you do hardware change) before you can play it.

Every time you activate the game the hardware fingerprint of your computer is stored in the activation server.

If during a new activation it detect that you already have 5 computer (or to be more correct five different hardware configuration) registered on the activation server then it will deny you the activation until you "deauthorize" one of the install.

Every time a publisher announces some form of copy protection for its game, I put that game in my "to pirate" list stored in my mind. Sorry about that, but DRM is just stupid and hypocritical.

P.S.I've got a very long "to pirate" list :-P

You do not seem to be a very successful pirate then. :)))

And TW2 will not be on the list thanks to GOG. :)

WoW maybe?

They explained at the conference that you require an internet connection only when you install. That is how they check, I assume.