GOG.com now offers an explanation for the recent closure of their site, which turns out to have been a publicity stunt, as many had speculated. This is part of a run-up to a re-launch of the service at 8:00 am EDT tomorrow morning, and they currently have a timer counting down to that point. They also offer a trailer where the site's cofounders dress as monks to admit to the "sin" of their hoax, and express regrets to their users, though they don't seem to take too much responsibility for the fallout of implying the service might be ending, harkening back to a time when the industry didn't take itself so seriously. Update: Gamasutra has word from their online press conference confirming speculation that Baldur's Gate will be added to the service, saying the beloved D&D RPG will be available when they re-launch, bundled with the Tales of the Sword Coast add-on for $9.99 USD. Here's GOG.com's statement:

First of all we would like to apologize everyone who felt deceived or harmed in any way by us closing down GOG.com without any warning and without giving access to your games. We apologize for that from the bottom of our hearts!

Now it's time we put an end to all the speculations once and for all. It’s true that we decided that we couldn't keep GOG.com the way it was… so we won’t. As you probably know by now, GOG.com is entering its new era with an end of the two-years beta stage and we're launching a brand new GOG.com with new, huge releases.

The new GOG.com will launch at 8.00 a.m. EDT (2 p.m. CET). Later today we'll provide you here with 4 videos where you'll find all needed information about the current events, as well as news on the new GOG.com, the upcoming big releases and the summary of the last two years.