Games for Windows Marketplace Relaunches in November

Andy Chalk

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Nov 12, 2002
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Games for Windows Marketplace Relaunches in November

Microsoft [http://www.microsoft.com] is taking another stab at the PC gaming market with the Games for Windows Marketplace, a dramatically overhauled digital games store that will finally offer non-Live games for sale.

The great thing about remaking the most universally-loathed digital gaming platform [http://www.gamesforwindows.com/] on the planet is that there's endless room for improvement. It almost doesn't matter what you do, because it's bound to be better than what was done before. In that light, I'm actually really looking forward to seeing what Microsoft does with the new Games for Windows Marketplace that will be unveiled in November and I'm hopeful that maybe it will even take a few steps toward relevance.

The new web-based Marketplace is intended to make browsing and purchasing games as simple and convenient as possible, with enhanced search functionality that includes titles, genres and even "dedicated publisher pages." Accessibility will be improved through integration with the Xbox Live and Windows Live services, including support for both Microsoft Points and credit card purchasing, and special "Deals of the Week" and other recurring and seasonal offers are also planned. Most significant, however, is that the system will finally branch out to include support for non-Live games.

It sounds good and, as we've touched on, it can't be any worse than what we've already got, but the elephant in the room that Microsoft doesn't seem to want to talk about is, as always, Valve's [http://store.steampowered.com] hugely successful digital platform, then I can't imagine how it will ever become anything more than a niche distribution service for Microsoft's own games. I guess you could say that I'm hopeful, but not hugely optimistic.

The new Games for Windows Marketplace is scheduled to go live on November 15.


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Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
well games for windows live has always sucked and this doesnt show me that they can give me anything better then steam or impulse, besides, they have a record of wanting to fool pc gamers into being the cashcows that 360 players are by charging for online play on the pc so they can go suck it
 

HentMas

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Apr 17, 2009
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I´ll stick with valve thank you, and if a game "needs" "gamesd for windows live" then i´ll buy in on the XBOX

seriously who wants "windows live" on their pc??
 

Motiv_

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I'm optimistic about this, but speaking as someone who was around during the old GFWL, it's certainly guarded optimism.
 

8bitmaster

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Nov 9, 2009
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meh I still don't care unless they release the rest of their precious halo on it.


edit: I do think that halo wars would actually do very well on pc as long as they don't just port it and actually fix controls.
 

Virgil

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Andy Chalk said:
Based on the video showing the new client in action, I daresay that it looks vaguely Steam-ish itself, but if it doesn't do something fundamentally better, or at least different, than Valve's [http://www.valvesoftware.com] hugely successful digital platform, then I can't imagine how it will ever become anything more than a niche distribution service for Microsoft's own games. I guess you could say that I'm hopeful, but not hugely optimistic.
I probably won't use it, but I'm glad they're still trying. Steam shouldn't be sitting there unopposed - there needs to be competition. And Stardock and Direct2Drive (ugh) are certainly not in any position to raise the bar.

Microsoft is in a good position to promote PC gaming - better than anyone else, really. I'd like to see Games For Windows Live become more like the Mac App Store apple just unveiled, like Community Games on the Xbox, where independent developers can push their game up to the store with a basic approval process. That's the kind of thing that would make me more excited about the platform, and they're already doing it with the Xbox and the new Windows Phones.
 

Megacherv

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Erm, didn't they offer non-GFWL games anyway, such as Saints Row 2, that's a Steam game.
 

Sebenko

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Hahahaha... oh, they're serious.

Steam. It's here, and considering Microsoft's PC offerings of late, I feel safe in saying that Steam is better.
 

LoganN

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inb4 "fuck microsoft"

Oh wait... too late...

This is good. It makes it easier to purchase things, which makes more money for the PC platform, which means more attention for the PC. Really, guys, get off that Valve shlong and enjoy it.
 

LoganN

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Fix your connection. I can play for hours on any GFWL without ever being disconnected.
 

Tom Phoenix

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Since I could hardly care less about digital distribution, this doesn't really affect me. Regardless, it's still nice to see Microsoft seriously trying to push GFWL as a competitor to Steam (although whether or not they have enough resolve to do so is another matter entirely).

Considering how Steam currently holds a monopoly over digital distribution, having some more competition in this area certainly can't hurt.
 

Andy Chalk

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Virgil said:
Microsoft is in a good position to promote PC gaming - better than anyone else, really.
Agreed. And hopefully without sounding like I'm beating the same drum over and over, this is a good start, but it could be easily (relatively, anyway) accelerated by porting titles like Alan Wake and the more recent Halo releases - any reasonably big 360 exclusive hit, in other words - to the PC and making them available exclusively through the GFW Marketplace. (Although I'd prefer retail releases too.)

If MS takes shit seriously, it will make a difference. It's just a question of commitment.
 

Rebel44

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Arec Balrin said:
MS won't take this shit seriously. They're efforts on PC in recent years have been worse than awful.
I agree and I expect MS to screw it just like their last attempt...
 

Scrythe

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Jun 23, 2009
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I guess Microsoft's version of "overhauled" means "new skin" because GFWL is still utter shit at being about to stay connected during a match of Dawn of War II.

Fix that and I'll be a little bit impressed.

I also heard that it's having troubles with Street Fighter IV.
 

Pandora92

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Did anyone else seriously laugh at the "selection" of games available shown in that preview video?