GOG says "we will not tolerate review bombing" after Hitman release sparks online DRM backlash

Hitman – Game of The Year Edition launched on GOG.com this week – and immediately sparked a row about DRM.

GOG is a storefront whose brand is built upon selling games “DRM free” – that is, they can be played offline.

Hitman’s GOG page, like that of so many games on the platform, highlights that it is DRM free. “No activation or online connection required to play,” reads the prominent message.

While Hitman’s story and bonus missions can be played offline, its Escalation missions, Elusive Targets and user-created Contracts require an online connection. This is a warning also displayed prominently on Hitman’s GOG store page, although customers say the game launched without it.

What has emerged since is you also have to be online to unlock new equipment, starting locations, to get mission scores and level up your location mastery.

All this combined caused some GOG users to leave negative reviews for the game complaining about the online nature of certain parts of the experience.

At the time of this article’s publication, Hitman was on a 1.4/5 overall rating – a terrible user score for a game that was met with critical acclaim upon release.

Most of the reviews mention “online DRM”. “You can play through the game with the basic options, but many features, such as unlocking weapons, items, outfits, starting locations and more are locked behind an online requirement,” wrote user Cube1701 in their 1/5 stars review. “The GOG page does not make this clear and is extremely misleading.”