GOG

[Nikolai]

Not at all; whenever CKII updated, I had to run it through the Steam launcher, or all the DLCs would be disabled complaining about keys. Once I had opened the app through Steam, I could close it and open it again running the PDX launcher executable directly. And the Steam overlay itself mentioned the eventual need of entering keys for the addons, though it seems that it has always been able to query Steam without my intervention.

Now, if older PDS games like HoI 3 and V2 can launch without this check, that is probably the biggest reason why we can see them in GOG.com and not CKII. Regardless, I have no other words for this behaviour of CKII than "Digital Rights Management."

Not at all. Copy the folder and place it somewhere else on the computer. I've done this with most of my PDS games, like Stellaris and, yes, CK2. It doesn't get updated. It doesn't need Steam.

 

[Atey]

PDX formally abandoned GOG, permanently, not too long into Crusader Kings II. 99% of the user base was on Steam and maintaining the non-Steam version was consuming unjustified amounts of resources.

Yeah, I'm fairly certain you've mixed up the names.

GamersGate or GG for short is where Paradox used to publish their games until sometime around CK2 as you mention.

GOG (previously know as Good Old Games, but they have since rebranded - see GOG.com) is a pretty popular game distribution platform and marketplace which specializes in selling DRM free titles. Paradox has put some of their old games on there in the past but they've only started adding their new titles once they stopped relying on Steam for multiplayer. This has changed sometime before the CK3 release and now no new Paradox Interactive games - in house or otherwise - have been announced or published on GOG for some undisclosed reason.

Their previous argument of needing additional resources to maintain different versions of the game doesn't hold any longer since they publish all of their in house titles on the Microsoft Store.

 

[Atey]

Regarding V3 coming out for non-Steam platforms, our best bet is hoping that there will be an actual console version. This will necessitate the code base not to rely exclusively on Steam services, and that will allow the game to be offered on other platforms even for the PC.

The game is already confirmed for Microsoft Store (Xbox Game Pass) so the code base won't rely exclusively on Steam services. Moreover Paradox has moved away from Steam for their multiplayer so there really is no apparent reason why Paradox shouldn't release Victoria 3 on GOG as well.