- Two GOG execs were interviewed and asked about the backlash against Windows 11 and increased interest in Linux
- The owner said, “I’m really surprised at Windows. It’s such poor-quality software and product, and I’m so surprised that it’s [spent] so many years on the market. I can’t believe it!”
- And the managing director observed that Linux was “one of the things that we’ve put in our strategy for this year to look closer at”
We’ve heard from a pair of the top execs behind GOG – a popular gaming platform focused on classic titles, hence the acronym ‘Good Old Games’ – and they made some withering comments about Windows 11, as well as dropping hints about how Linux is going to become more important for GOG in 2026.
The execs in question are the new owner of GOG, Michał Kiciński, and the managing director, Maciej Gołębiewski, who were interviewed by PC Gamer.
Our sister site asked about the backlash against Windows 11 – which has reached new heights since Microsoft started pushing AI even harder in the OS late last year – and the increasing interest in Linux as a result (which was already sparked by the success of SteamOS on handhelds).
Kiciński said, “I’m really surprised at Windows. It’s such poor-quality software and product, and I’m so surprised that it’s [spent] so many years on the market. I can’t believe it!”
Kiciński doesn’t run Windows 11, you may not be surprised to learn – he uses macOS – but does have to fix the PCs of his parents sometimes.
The owner further explained, “I sometimes have to fix my mum’s computer or my father’s computer with Windows, [and] like, it’s unbelievable… So I’m not surprised that people gravitate outside of the Windows ecosystem.”
It was Gołębiewski, however, who dropped the big hint about Linux, when questioned on gamers embracing it as an alternative to Microsoft’s OS.
The managing director said that Linux was “one of the things that we’ve put in our strategy for this year to look closer at”, but refused to elaborate further, noting, “I don’t want to commit to any specifics, but certainly you will see this trend, and we also see that Linux is close to the hearts of our users, so we probably could do better on that front, and that’s something that we’ll be looking at.”
Analysis: Linux is building up steam (or is it the other way round?)
That last comment comes against a backdrop of Valve having made some laudable progress with SteamOS (and the Steam Deck, plus other handhelds are using the platform, too). This has meant more games are compatible with SteamOS, really driving forward on the Linux compatibility front – and on top of that, we’ve got the Steam Machine seemingly on the near horizon, too.
That compact device could be a landmark moment for easy and convenient living room gaming, potentially, and so given all this, it’s no real surprise that GOG would be looking at Linux more closely for 2026 – and beefing up support for games on this platform.
What’s a bit more surprising is the heat that Windows 11 takes here, with the owner of GOG pulling no punches in the assessment of Microsoft’s OS. Of course, part of what’s “unbelievable” for Kiciński is how Windows is “such poor-quality software” given that it’s been on the market for over 30 years now. (And indeed it’s existed longer than that, but not as a full-blown operating system, just as an interface overlay on top of DOS).
He is, of course, not isolated in firing flak at Windows 11, which was seen as a step back from Windows 10 by many. Mainly because the performance of the newest OS was lacking compared to its predecessor in some respects – particularly with search and File Explorer, and it still is to this day – plus a bunch of features got dropped with Windows 11 (although a good few have been added back since the OS launched in 2021).
The worst crime Microsoft is guilty of now, though, in the eyes of the growing ranks of detractors, is that big push for cramming more AI into Windows 11 rather than trying to fix those flaky fundamentals – the poor-quality elements the GOG owner is talking about.
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