Here's a video where Gabe talks a little about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCGMiT0CQAI

He says that the #1 response when they ask dev studios what they need is a Linux debugger. So Valve is working with others on developing that. That and other tools too, I assume.

As far as GPU drivers go, my guess is that they're just using their influence to try and persuade Nvidia and AMD to give more priority to Linux driver optimization. I think I recall him mentioning a Nvidia rep embedded there at Valve. Nvidia and AMD have an interest in this too, even without Valve prodding them.

Many sellers and developers are supporting Linux. Even Steam has jumped into the deep end. Supporting Linux is a race that GOG should have won. Linux users that prefer DRM free would have flocked to GOG. The Humble Bundles have received great support from the supposed insignificant number of Linux users. As it is now, some or many of them will now go to Steam to get their game fix. After a while some of those Linux gamers could get a decent library on Steam, then just decide to keep buying from Steam since all of their games are already there. GOG really should put more consideration into Linux.
Grab Legend of Grimrock. If you like that style of game, you will not be disappointed. I actually have the GOG and Humble Store version, mainly because I pre-ordered Grimrock from GOG because it was the only DRM free version at that time. The Humble version was mentioned a few days later.

It would be very interesting if The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 ended up with Linux releases that couldn't be sold on GOG. Steam exclusive? :P


Thanks for the link.

I'm pretty sure that if The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 are planned/ scheduled to have a Linux release then GOG would be ready to support Linux by the time these particular versions of the games come out. Any other case would be surreal, to say the least. Who knows, maybe that's been the plan from the beginning?

Weren't InXile the ones that did most of the porting on Unity3D for linux? I believe this effort preceded any public move from Valve towards supporting Steam on Linux

Just adding my experience as a Linux user and GOG fan.

During the last couple of years I've bought about 450 games on GOG, and I would pop in here on a daily basis to lurk the forums and check for new releases.
GOG has done several things I like a lot:
* No DRM
* Installer that basically only unpacks the game to a path, so that is easily movable again, no registry stupidity.
* Releasing old classics that I thought were lost forever
* Nice hub for my games and re-downloading them
* Pretty good forums and community

However, I am a computer user first and gamer second.
The OS I use is linux, and it is a pain in the a** to keep rebooting the computer to play a game.
It went so far that I spent a few hundred hours making a program that unpacks/installs/configures about half my games to a working state in linux using scummvm/dosbox/wine.
This was all fine until a lot of the new releases came with linux binaries elsewhere and Steam started getting quite a few good linux games.
Now GOG is no longer the go-to place for me for games.
As much as I like the features of GOG, I much more prefer not rebooting/emulating and supporting a vendor that supports my choice in OS.

From what I remember, Valve was first. But this might due to I focus on Valve more than Unity. But then again, I think Unity was export only, but Source itself were running on Linux, if I remember correctly - which is why current talks by Gabe focus on development on linux itself - like debugger and what not.

Anyway, take away point is that more and more popular engines supporting Linux.
I think GOG just need to follow Valve foot step - just mention that Ubuntu is the official supportive platform.

But GOG does use the registry heavily.

Yes, ScummVM and DOSBox games obviously don't inherently use the registry, in those cases it's only GOGs launcher that relies on it (which then can be bypassed without affecting the game). In other cases, say Beyond Good and Evil, the launcher modifies the game while running in order to make it more stable or run at the correct speed on modern systems - and since the launcher requires the registry keys, it's not very "easily movable" (then there are games that themselves requires their registry keys).

Yes, there might in fact be games that they do this for, but I've had much better luck being able to just unpack even windows games and run them from anywhere in the filesystem than I normally would.
I never use the gog installers, but extract the files using "innoextract".

No, GOG shouldn't mention Ubuntu as supported platform (only). That's actually pretty bad and Valve probably already regrets doing that. Just follow the whole Mir mess that Canonical brews for Ubuntu.

GOG in the past said they they theoretically want to target several distros where they perform their integration testing. I think that includes Debian, Mint and interestingly Google's Chrome OS (not sure exactly how, since by default Chrome OS doesn't allow native applications, but it's a modified Gentoo, and in developer mode it allows installing any Gentoo packages.

If CDPred and other publishers wish to make their games available to the steambox owners, then they must embrace linux. If that happens, then chances are that the games will get released on Linux in DRM-free variants too.
That would be one less reason to stay on Windows - Just hoping.

CD Projekt Red didn't express explicit interest in Linux and Steam OS in particular so far. Hopefully Valve's influence will convince them to change their mind.

Linux yes. Steam OS no (i dont see the point of it for the average user - and dont give me the spiel about being free from windows - thats commercial reality)

To me Steam OS is great. I have no intention to run it, but other people will, and that just builds the case for release linux binaries for games already!

The *only* problem i have with linux support is - the market is so damn small at the moment (dont tell me otherwise....its always been very small)...how can a company justify trying to make it a mainstream gaming os when it hasnt taken off even as a desktop? (and its been tried a number of times)

nijuu: That's the point. Valve has enough muscle to build a console which will advance Linux gaming, and in result this will help improve the Linux on the desktop situation. There is no point for Valve to wait for any magic change - they can make a change.

All other consoles don't even have any synergy with desktop OSes, yet they are successful. Applying your logic there was no point to make them whatsoever, since their operating systems had literally zero adoption before.