- Two GOG executives were interviewed and asked about the backlash against Windows 11 and increased interest in Linux
- The owner said: “I’m really surprised by Windows. It’s such a 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 CEO noted that Linux was “one of the things we put in our strategy for this year to look at”
We’ve heard from a few of the top executives 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 will become more important to GOG in 2026.
The executives in question are the new owner of GOG, Michał Kiciński, and the CEO, 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 began pushing AI even harder in the OS late last year – and the resulting surge in interest in Linux (already sparked by the success of SteamOS on handhelds).
Kiciński said: “I’m really surprised by 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 might not be surprised to learn—he uses macOS—but sometimes has to fix his parents’ PCs.
The owner further explained, “I sometimes have to repair my mother’s computer or my father’s Windows computer, [and] like, it’s incredible… So I’m not surprised that people are gravitating outside of the Windows ecosystem.”
However, it was Gołębiewski who dropped the big hint about Linux when asked about gamers embracing it as an alternative to Microsoft’s OS.
The CEO said that Linux was “one of the things that we put in our strategy for this year to look at,” but declined 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 could probably do better on that front, and we will see that on that front.”
Analysis: Linux builds steam (or is it the other way around?)
That last comment comes on the back of Valve making some commendable progress with SteamOS (and the Steam Deck, plus other handhelds also use the platform). This has meant that more games are compatible with SteamOS, really pushing forward on the Linux compatibility front – and on top of that, we also have the Steam Machine seemingly on the horizon.
The compact device could potentially be a watershed moment for easy and convenient home gaming, and given all of this, it’s no real surprise that GOG would be looking at Linux for 2026 – and bolstering support for games on that platform.
What is a little more surprising is the heat that Windows 11 takes here, where the owner of GOG pulls no punches in the assessment of Microsoft’s OS. Of course, part of the “incredibility” for Kiciński is how Windows is “such poor quality software” since it’s been on the market for over 30 years now. (And it’s actually been around longer than that, but not as a fully fledged operating system, just as an interface overlay on top of DOS).
Of course, he’s not alone in taking flak at Windows 11, which was seen by many as a step back from Windows 10. Mainly because the performance of the latest OS was lacking compared to its predecessor in some respects – especially with search and File Explorer, and it still is to this day – plus a lot of features were 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, however, in the eyes of the growing ranks of critics, is the big push to cram more AI into Windows 11 instead of trying to fix the lopsided fundamentals – the poor quality elements that the GOG owner talks about.
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