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Microsoft Kills Games for Windows Marketplace, Will Bring PC Games to Xbox LIVE

Jul. 3, 2011 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

This is one of those overdue moves that will be misunderstood by many (hence the deliberately misleading headline above). But it boils down to this. Today, Microsoft offers an online service for Xbox 360 gamers called Xbox LIVE. It also offers an online service for Windows Phone-based gamers called Xbox LIVE. And it offers an online service for Windows-based gamers called, yep, you guessed it ... Games for Windows LIVE. Wait, what?

So these "three" things are obviously just the same thing, with the Windows version having a different name for some reason. So Microsoft is simply rebranding the Windows service, and its associated online store, so that it matches what's available on Xbox 360 and Windows Phone. And this isn't surprising because we knew already that Microsoft was consolidating its entertainment offerings around the Xbox brand, and bringing those products and services to Windows.

Anyway. If you visit the Games for Windows web site, you'll see the following graphic:

gamesforwindows_killed_0

Don't get too excited by that more info button, as there's not much there yet. Just the following note:

"Games for Windows Marketplace is coming to Xbox.com! Games for Windows Marketplace will fully transition over to Xbox.com. Now you can get all of your gaming needs in one place. It's convenient, it's concentrated, and it’s a whole lot of great games."

I'd add that it's overdue, too. This makes plenty of sense.

Discuss this Article 8

Anonymous
on Jul 3, 2011
I find this in poor taste, personally; especially with Ballmer singing from the rooftops about how Windows is "in his blood." With Mac gaining traction in the general computing and gaming world this is a crucial time for Microsoft to flaunt Windows' dominance in those spaces. Lump unique platforms under the guise of a console and people will perceive those platforms as limited. Go ahead and group all those services together, but for frig's sake don't call it Xbox. That's like Pizza Hut changing its name to Breadsticks.
Anonymous
on Jul 3, 2011
My hope is that some simpler Xbox Arcade games that can run on both the 360 and PC will be "Buy once, play anywhere". Or even better, "Cross platform save files" or some other incentives like bundling PC and 360 versions of a game for a bit more money.
Anonymous
on Jul 3, 2011
I would love this to mean that my Games for Windows Live games will now be available free on my Xbox Live account, like Steam does with PS3, but I'm not getting my hopes up
Anonymous
on Jul 3, 2011
There's still a large amount of dedicated PC gamers (and non cosolers) out there that think this is maddening. We want to play/purchase *PC* games, not get directed to a Console page - it's so off-putting and sickening to our cores. It's no wonder we all hate the "Games for Windows" and "LIVE" initiatives with Microsoft and their crazy naming schemes and rediculous console-esque GFWL client. Thankfully there's Steam.
Anonymous
on Jul 4, 2011
Microsoft has been an absolute embarrassment in regards to PC gaming. A simple re-branding won't do anything, when there are huge fundamental flaws in the rest of their strategy. They have just about ignored the PC community outright since the introduction of Xbox; which is no doubt a huge reason for Steam's success, among other things. Steam is a great service and people love it. Microsoft would have to absolutely blow everyone's mind away to get anybody to care, which most likely wont happen.
Anonymous
on Jul 4, 2011
Seriously, why does Microsoft always have problems naming things? If they want to consolidate around the xbox brand, fine. I think we're all on the same thing that it makes sense. There's really no confusion, as the end-user knows if he's buying a game for the xbox console, a Windows PC or his Windows Phone. (It's similar to how the "Zune" brand refers to the device as well as the desktop application and the cloud-based services.) But for consistency's sake, why on earth have a different name for windows -- "Games for Windows LIVE" -- just call it the same thing!
cavalierex
on Jul 4, 2011
Seriously, why does Microsoft always have problems naming things? If they want to consolidate around the xbox brand, fine. I think we're all on the same thing that it makes sense. There's really no confusion, as the end-user knows if he's buying a game for the xbox console, a Windows PC or his Windows Phone. (It's similar to how the "Zune" brand refers to the device as well as the desktop application and the cloud-based services.) But for consistency's sake, why on earth have a different name for windows -- "Games for Windows LIVE" -- just call it the same thing!
cavalierex
on Jul 4, 2011
Seriously, why does Microsoft always have problems naming things? If they want to consolidate around the xbox brand, fine. I think we're all on the same thing that it makes sense. There's really no confusion, as the end-user knows if he's buying a game for the xbox console, a Windows PC or his Windows Phone. (It's similar to how the "Zune" brand refers to the device as well as the desktop application and the cloud-based services.) But for consistency's sake, why on earth have a different name for windows -- "Games for Windows LIVE" -- just call it the same thing!

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