Games for Windows Live To be Discontinued in July 2014

Hardcore Gamer: Microsoft plans to discontinue the service beginning on July 1 2014. Apparently, Age of Empires Online will be shutdown in response to this, which also raises the question of what will happen to games that required similar infrastructure.

[clmstr]

YES.
Our prayers have been finally answered. The world of PC gamers is saved from a terrible curse.

[starchild]

Haha yeah, GFWL was a pain.

[zeal0us]

*Gamerscom 2013 MS unveils their new platform for pc gamers. This new platform will optimize games on Win8, WP8 and even the X1.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! !

*Do know that I'm kidding.

[kewlkat007]

I actually think MS has a new plan....they just hired some Steam guy

[DeadlyFire]

@kewlkat007
Yes they have a new plan. I expect One Live or something like that will be the new thing with a full app on the PC that runs identical to Steam or Origin. Free of charge for multiplayer and such as well with subscription for TVservice through One Live or something like that.

The Steam guy they hired stated that he was hired to make Windows a better place for gaming. So I expect something to drop onto the PC platform in the next year or so sometime. Maybe more Xbox exclusive games on the PC to combat Linux and MacOSX gaming. While not super large. Valve has made a dent into getting Linux into gaming. Some games coming in the next year are being developed for Linux as well and I suspect Steambox is the reason for this.

[badz149]

Still about a year left? Why not make it sooner?

They tried to make pc gamers pay to play online...LOL what were they thinking? The thing worked so well on console because it's the only way to play online on the xbox but trying to pull the same stunt on pc?? Did they think they own the internet or something? What a joke. The policy backfired and they had to make it free and still literally nobody is using it! It's not welcomed, period. Should just scrap it a long time ago!

[andrewer]

THANK GOD

[MadLad]

A damn disease, it is.

[Murad]

Agreed!

[RedDeadLB]

Shouldn't have even existed in the first place.

[Pisque]

No, it made competition at the beggining of the digital software services. Do you think Steam would have such deals if it hadn't competition at the first place? It's good that GFWL failed lamentably, but it's also good that it existed.

[ThatCanadianGuy514]

steam came in 2002.
This blight on PC gaming was from 2007.
Steam, ( and other services like Direct2drive and gamersgate) were doing fine without MS trying to shoehorn into the market and charge for things that are free everywhere else.

Nothing good came from it.

[Murad]

@DayZ
Dude, it's quite obvious that the only thing MS was trying to do was take control of some market share, which is something Gamersgate, Steam and even GoG are owning, mostly Steam of course. It's stupid, because they were doing the same thing that they were doing before that they are doing now, kind of irritates me.

[Tzuno]

Lol at the comments no wonder they close the damn thing.

[TekoIie]

Thank god. Cant count how many times I've had to keep changing channel to make sure I can play a game and talk to friends on my xbox :D

[jeffgoldwin]

Games for Windows Live was for MS windows. Im not following why u weren't on your xbox talking to friends.

[aquamala]

because if you use the same gamertag, you can't sign in on Games for Windows and Xbox live at the same time, log in on one and it will log you out on the other

[TekoIie]

When I load up arkham asylum on my PC it signs me out on my Xbox 360. I then have to sign back in through my 360 to lose the connection on GFWL.

While GFWL is for windows it does not have party chat. So I would only be able to chat with one friend at a time through GFWL.

So of course I sign in on my 360 to talk to friends.

[Obamanationn]

what about my games that i have registered to it like my GTA4 SFxT Dirt 3 ?

[dazzrazz]

http://support.xbox.com/en-...

[Lou Ferrigno]

woooooohoooooooo!! Celebration time

[xtremexx]

needs to end sooner.

[fossilfern]

Praise the sun!

http://media.moddb.com/cach...

[V0LT]

Ah yes, the best thing to happen since sliced bread!

[hiptanaka]

Guess that whole "cloud" thing isn't working out too well.

[FullmetalAlchemist]

GFWL sucks so much!

[maelstromb]

So it's official! Microsoft finally admits (in a not-so-formal-fashion) that its half-assed, disingenuous odyssey to "revitalize" the PC Gaming platform has slowly and pathetically faded into obscurity. Fact is, MS has been racked with nothing but inner turmoil from day one of the original Xbox's release when looking toward creating two separate, yet viable gaming markets (PC & Console); and it has been crystal clear for quite some time just which side would win in that struggle. Call it greed. Call it focus. Call it whatever you like. Either way, while most PC Gamers (myself included) are rejoicing at the long foretold end of Games For Windows Live, a part of me can't help but feel that MS deliberately cheated the very fans that enabled its gaming division to thrive since the early 90's--us loyal PC gamers... and for that, I'm truly sad.

[gk07]

woohoo

[InTheLab]

*Downloads Batman AA
*X out of GFWL
*goes to save 3 hours in and can't because you must sign in to GFWL
*goes to update GFWL
*takes 20 minutes to update
*won't accept key
*tabs out of GFWL onto amazon.com to order game for PS3.

Will not miss GFWL

[GentlemenRUs]

Now what about those who have games linked with GFWL? I got "Viva Pinata" on the PC a long time ago so I don't know what will happen...

[FFRyan]

YES YES YES!

[KontryBoy706]

Might as well be discontinued. PC gamers weren't gonna take that pay to play BS and after we fought against that we pretty much gave GFWL the finger anyways. bye bye to stupid logins, games not accepting keys, etc

[MuhammadJA]

Great news. This cancer of a DRM was a disaster.