MS Affirms Games For Windows Commitment, Describes Windows as 'First-class Gaming Platform'

by Chris Faylor, Jan 27, 2009 2:40pm PST

Related Topics – Microsoft, PC Gaming, PC, Games for Windows

Following the departure of Games for Windows Live manager Chris Early in the latest round of Microsoft cuts, the company has stressed its commitment to the service.

In a statement to Kotaku, Microsoft said:

Moving ahead, Microsoft will continue to invest in Windows as a first-class gaming platform through great Windows out of box experiences, our online gaming services including Games for Windows - LIVE, MSN Games, and Messenger games, and through new games for Windows developed by Microsoft Games Studios.

Ron Pessner, formerly of the Entertainment & Devices division, will now lead Microsoft's "Windows gaming service efforts" in the Interactive Entertainment Business branch.

The Games for Windows Live Marketplace premiered its first paid downloadable content today, with its its first public beta download, Relic's Dawn of War II, due later today.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Game Studios manager Dave Luehmann will now oversee Microsoft's internal development and publishing for all Windows-based games, with the company saying it will not comment on any other personnel changes at this time.

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Comments

15 Threads | 53 Comments

#2

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By: Frank_Mackey x Show Full Post

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Says the company that bought up a bunch of PC devs and put them to work making Xbox exclusives.

Jan 27, 2009 2:54pm PST

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Says the company that bought up a bunch of PC devs and put them to work making Xbox exclusives. : Frank_Mackey
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  ... and canned the studios still doing PC-only development. : ThomW
  - Yup. How can they justify shutting down the Flight Sim devs and Ensemble because it's not profitable eno... : kevlarcardhouse

#1

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By: CoreContingency x Show Full Post

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First Class? Fantastic! Does that mean we'll be seeing more simultaneous PC/360 launches that are not poorly optimized ports? Put your money where your mouth is...

Jan 27, 2009 2:54pm PST

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First Class? Fantastic! Does that mean we'll be seeing more simultaneous PC/360 launches that are not poo... : CoreContingency
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  You know, this is a good point, even if it should be incredibly obvious. They keep talking about how ... : ETPC1
  - Their failure with GFWL is so bad that I'd be inclined to agree its sabatoge. : BorenKets123

#26

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By: Wisp! x Show Full Post

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Games for Windows is the greatest service ever. No joke. Because the first thing I want to see after I register an account for the Dawn of War II beta is a fucking advertisement for how great the Xbox is.

Jan 27, 2009 5:27pm PST

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Games for Windows is the greatest service ever. No joke. Because the first thing I want to see after I re... : Wisp!
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- I hear that. : ETPC1
- All hail Microsoft. : ReckHavoc
- Yeah, "First Class gaming Platform"....they should try treating it like one then. : BorenKets123

#4

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By: Tech T x Show Full Post

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They can affirm all they want, i'm quite happy with Valve and Steam.

Besides, what exactly has Games for Windows done for me as a PC gamer that I should care about?

I can't think of anything.

Jan 27, 2009 3:03pm PST

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They can affirm all they want, i'm quite happy with Valve and Steam. Besides, what exactly has Games... : Tech T
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#48

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By: ClawHammR x Show Full Post

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... Coming from guys that treat pc like crap and thought they where firing or had fired most of the in-house game companies thing :P -- like devs behind halo wars (that made age of empires etc) are beeing laid off when halo rts is done, and just hearing that they always buy companies maybe sell good and then lay everyone off.

Though if some crazy chance that it [i]wil/i] happen then Microsoft has really pulled their act together since Bill Gates left, and finally started beeing like should've the whole time.

Jan 28, 2009 3:59am PST

... Coming from guys that treat pc like crap and thought they where firing or had fired most of the in-ho : ClawHammR

#42

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By: Sgt_Boomstick x Show Full Post

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I feel bad for anyone who takes this to heart. PC gaming will always take a distance backseat to X360 as far as Microsoft's concerned. I love what MS did with the 360 but it makes me sad they still control both.

Jan 27, 2009 9:51pm PST

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I feel bad for anyone who takes this to heart. PC gaming will always take a distance backseat to X360 as ... : Sgt_Boomstick
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  It does suck. Microsoft has the majority of the PC market tied up with Windows, yet they can make far mor... : Serpico74
  - what happens if Valve gets bought out or sells Steam ? : quadalupeupe

#29

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By: phate81 x Show Full Post

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SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GIVE ME FREELANCER 2

Jan 27, 2009 5:44pm PST

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SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GIVE ME FREELANCER 2 : phate81
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- Lol! Too bad my hommies at Digital Anvil are scattered across the gaming universe when they got shut dow... : digitalnegro
- I would love a Freelancer 2 game. I loved exploring the game universe, it was just so massive. : deject

#41

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By: psamathos x Show Full Post

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Ah, more Microsoft bullshytt. Windows may be a "first-class" gaming platform, but that's no thanks to Microsoft. Just look at how their attempt to entice gamers into Vista with DirectX 10 failed miserably. But maybe they'll learn from their mistakes? Hah.

Jan 27, 2009 8:49pm PST

Ah, more Microsoft bullshytt. Windows may be a "first-class" gaming platform, but that's no thanks to Mi... : psamathos

#39

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By: ElArabDeMagnifico x Show Full Post

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I remember when Steam and hell, even Stardock central was awful at first. Now both Steam and Impulse are awesome.

Please go the same way GFWL.

Jan 27, 2009 7:44pm PST

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I remember when Steam and hell, even Stardock central was awful at first. Now both Steam and Impulse are ... : ElArabDeMagnifico
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- http://members.shaw.ca/crushbug/pics/GamesForWindowsLive.jpg : Derek French

#36

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By: zehh x Show Full Post

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We're all screwed.

Jan 27, 2009 6:50pm PST

We're all screwed. : zehh

#22

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By: the archvile x Show Full Post

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I don't see how Microsoft is going to make Games for Windows / GfWL progress much further unless they start catering to the hardcore PC gaming crowd. We may not make up a significant piece of the sales pie; however, we are the ones who buy the games early, we are the ones who recommend the games we do and don't like, and many of us become modmakers and potentially game designers.

I have a feeling that Microsoft didn't involve the opinions of many PC-centric gamers in the development of the Games for Windows standard set; it smacks of too much input from the XBox and Windows Media Center Edition fields of expertise. Seriously, the standard mandates XBox 360 controller compatibility if gamepads are supported, mandates Direct3D 9 at least, skews highly toward widescreen monitors that are at least 10 feet away from the viewer, and so on. It seems to be a pitch that intends to take developers into the direction of "why don't we just make it on the 360?".

Jan 27, 2009 4:24pm PST

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I don't see how Microsoft is going to make Games for Windows / GfWL progress much further unless they sta... : the archvile
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  I agree with you but I can't see Live ever catering to the hardcore PC gaming crowd. The cynic in me says... : Dr_Cube
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    I can understand not catering to the hardcore PC crowd, but they need to stop stepping on people's toes, ... : the archvile
    - They also should commit to the fucking platform by maybe sharing some of the major hits? And I don't mean... : ETPC1
    - I say that their first order of business should be a client/launcher that looks and works like the Steam ... : Dr_Cube

#5

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By: ETPC1 x Show Full Post

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Ahahahahahhaha.

That's a good joke, man.

Jan 27, 2009 3:08pm PST

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Ahahahahahhaha. That's a good joke, man. : ETPC1
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- That's how I feel as well. : te[R]ror

#20

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By: baron calamity x Show Full Post

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I dedicate this to MGS:
I started a joke, which started the whole world crying,
But I didnt see that the joke was on me, oh no.

Til I finally died, which started the whole world living,
Oh, if Id only seen that the joke was on me.

Jan 27, 2009 4:08pm PST

I dedicate this to MGS: I started a joke, which started the whole world crying, But I didnt see that th : baron calamity

#9

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By: Vegtro x Show Full Post

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What MIcrosoft Game Studios? I thought they fired everyone from the PC side.

Jan 27, 2009 3:19pm PST

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What MIcrosoft Game Studios? I thought they fired everyone from the PC side. : Vegtro
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  The purpose of first-party development (development done by a platform holder) is two-fold. First, the... : RomSteady
  - I keep reading this and I still don't understand it :( : ETPC1
- The Wikipedia page is starting to look sad from a PC perspective: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_... : the archvile

#18

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By: SpaecKow x Show Full Post

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Personally I would go so far as to say it's a "platinum grade" gaming platform.

Jan 27, 2009 3:53pm PST

Personally I would go so far as to say it's a "platinum grade" gaming platform. : SpaecKow

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