2 Star Ocean games go DRM-free on GOG as the storefront promises it's working on embracing the Linux faithful

If you love JRPGs and hate DRM, some good news: the Star Ocean series has arrived on GOG. Well, some of it, anyway. As of today, you can pick up Star Ocean The Divine Force and Star Ocean The Second Story R on the DRM-free storefront.

This is a GOG premiere, mind you, not a PC one. These two Star Oceans (Stars Ocean) have been present on Steam for a few years each at this point, but it's always nice to have versions you can actually say you own.

Oddly enough, one game in Star Ocean's PC retinue is still missing from GOG's catalogue: the oldest one, Star Ocean – The Last Hope – 4K and Full HD Remaster. That game was the series' PC debut all the way back in 2017, but it's absent on GOG for now. Kind of ironic that the oldest game in the series available on PC isn't on the website formerly known as Good Old Games, but sometimes things just don't shake out.

Anyway, both games have been insta-inducted into the GOG Preservation Program, meaning the storefront is pledging to keep them running on modern OSes from now until the end of all things. They've not had quite the gussy-up that Thief: The Dark Project got recently, but GOG has made sure the games support modern controllers and run well on modern systems.

Speaking of modern systems, let's chat Linux, the most modern system of all. The hottest people you know are all swarming away from Windows and over to free and open-source operating systems like bees to honey, with the number Steam users on Linux-based systems summiting the dizzy heights of 5% back in April (it, um, has gone down a bit since). GOG has taken notice of the bump in popularity, and told GamingOnLinux that it's working on getting the GOG Galaxy launcher working on Linux systems.

"We now have the specialist on board and are actively exploring the best way to approach Linux support for GOG Galaxy," said GOG. "This is a significant undertaking, so while we’re not ready to share any specific plans, timelines, or results just yet, it’s very much an area we’re investing time and effort into."

Why? Because people like me won't shut up about it: "Linux continues to be one of the topics we hear the most about from our community, and we really appreciate the passion and patience of everyone who’s been asking about it."

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One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War.