Michał Kiciński, the founder and now sole owner of GOG, says he has no fear of competing with Steam. In fact, he believes Valve’s dominant market share leaves room for GOG to grow by focusing on its strengths rather than trying to challenge Steam directly.
For those who missed the recent developments, just before the end of 2025, Kiciński acquired 100% of GOG from CD Projekt RED for $25 million. The deal was something of a “family transfer,” as Kiciński co-founded both companies, and GOG has long been a key part of the Polish publisher. Following the acquisition, GOG now operates as a fully independent company while continuing its original mission — supporting gamers and developers by offering DRM-free games.
Competing with Steam Without Confrontation
“Right now, GOG can be the boss of its own destiny, and there are no priorities other than being successful on its own,” Kiciński said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, explaining that he sees more opportunities than threats in competing with a giant like Steam.
His reasoning is simple: Steam is so big that it’s actually easier, in his view, to take small portions of its market share. “I see opportunities more than negatives, that’s my nature, and I see huge opportunities for GOG to grow,” he said. “And somebody might say that having a competitor like Steam with 80% of the market share is a huge obstacle, but to me it’s the opposite. I see: ‘Oh, there is one big competitor, it’ll be difficult for them to defend the market, because they already have 80%, so it should be easier to take the market from them.”
Kiciński believes GOG should focus on maintaining and strengthening its unique advantages rather than imitating others. “GOG has its own identity and its own uniqueness, which is very much appreciated by gamers,” he added.
At the same time, Kiciński acknowledges that GOG can still improve by learning from its competitors, especially when it comes to user experience. “Steam is winning with its ease of use,” he admitted. “In that regard, I think much can be done in GOG without losing its core values and the way it operates in general.”
Ultimately, GOG’s goal isn’t to compete head-to-head with Steam but to focus on partnerships with smaller studios and publishers rather than fighting over triple-A blockbusters or pricing wars. That doesn’t mean big games will disappear, though — as part of the acquisition, an agreement was made ensuring CD Projekt RED’s titles will continue to be published on GOG for at least the next six years.
