The head of GOG acknowledged that the decision to remove the Taiwanese horror game Devotion from their platform resulted in a loss of "credibility" for the company

Maciej Gołębiewski, the managing director of GOG, has reflected on the company's controversial choice in 2020 to not list the Taiwanese horror game, Devotion. He admitted that this move harmed GOG's reputation.

In a conversation with Eurogamer, Gołębiewski noted that the firm was not fully aware of the international implications surrounding Devotion at that time, which led to a loss of "credibility".

The game Devotion, initially launched on Steam in February 2019, was removed from that platform after an in-game element was perceived as mocking China's President Xi Jinping. This incident led to the cancellation of the developer Red Candle's publishing contracts with Indievent and Winking Entertainment. Furthermore, Indievent's business license was reportedly revoked by Chinese authorities.

In December 2020, Red Candle Games disclosed plans to release Devotion on GOG, but the platform decided against distributing the game.

Gołębiewski remarked on the difficulty of revisiting those decisions, citing business limitations, incomplete understanding of geopolitical tensions, and the lack of suitable options that would secure GOG's interests while allowing an ethical game release.

He acknowledged in hindsight that the decision and its communication impacted user trust in GOG. However, the company strives to be open about its decisions.

Operating a global digital storefront involves navigating complex legal, operational, and commercial factors that don't always lead to perfect solutions. This led GOG to choose a path in 2020 that prioritized the company's interests, despite the hit to their credibility.

Since then, GOG has received positive attention for being one of two retailers to support the controversial game Horses, alongside Itch.io.

Gołębiewski stated, "Our decision was solely based on evaluating the game itself." He added that while setbacks and challenges are inevitable, the company aims to be more transparent and consistent with their values, openly discussing their decisions when questioned.