Microsoft Caves to Consumers, Frees Games for Windows
Posted 07/22/08 at 12:50:07 PM | by Norman Chan
Update: More details about the announcement here, along with DirectX11 news.
Remember that old economics lesson about supply and demand? If demand for a product rises, the company producing it can raise the price to the point where the supply and demand curves intersect. But when the demand for a product is almost non-existent, the invisible hand of economics demands that price falls. In the case of Microsoft’s Games for Windows LIVE initiative, the price has now fallen to zero. Microsoft just announced today that Games for Windows LIVE will be free for all users (both Silver and Gold accounts), which is the price it should’ve been at all along. Gamertags, buddy lists, and achievements will be enabled on all accounts without an annual fee, though gamers who play on Xbox LIVE will still have to pay for that service.
Check back later today for our interview with Kevin Unangst, Senior Global Director of Games for Windows, who will reveal what other plans Microsoft has next for the GFW program.
From Microsoft:
- Effective today, all Games for Windows – LIVE multiplayer features are now completely free. Achievements, enhanced TruSkill ® matchmaking, cross-platform play with XBOX 360 (in games that support it), voice and text chat, a friends list that is consistent across both Windows and XBOX 360 – everything – is now free to Windows gamers.
- This change immediately affects all currently available Games for Windows – LIVE titles and all future titles.
- Microsoft will also announce plans to deliver a Games for Windows – LIVE marketplace this fall, which will offer downloadable game content (free and paid, determined by the publisher), demos, trailers and more.
- Microsoft is also making the Games for Windows – LIVE in-game interface much more PC friendly, and reducing the technical requirements for developers.
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Gee free friends lists......
Submitted by ghot on Mon, 2008-11-17 07:23
What possible improvement could Microsoft think of next. Has anyone told MS that flists have been free for almost every other game on the planet, since they were released....guess not lol
Maybe if we're really good...they'll add free text chat too lol
Quote: "Microsoft just announced today that Games for Windows LIVE will be free for all users (both Silver and Gold accounts)" ......just a dumb question.....are the silver and gold "accounts" free also? If so, why are there two account types? Is Silver free, more free than Gold free? If, in fact, the Silver and Gold accounts are NOT free.....then niether are the friends list or the text chat lol
Microsoft cracks me up.....they should go on the road with their comedy routine....oh that's right....they have, lol.
good news
Submitted by JonyCrash on Tue, 2008-07-22 16:02
This is great timing. My brother bought me Gears of War last month as a birthday gift and we've been playing through the co op, and our free month was about to run out.
So it's good to hear this will be a free service now, because neither of us were willing to pay for it.
Since we're talking economics here...
Submitted by Sithinious on Tue, 2008-07-22 15:39
What happens when the price falls to zero and there's still no demand?
meh
Submitted by whisp on Tue, 2008-07-22 13:53
Won't make a difference, if this does pickup it won't be for a long time. Steam is doing all of this and more, and doing it better. Another failed microsoft endeavor, at least in the near future.
"we Plan for Tomorrow, but we Live for Today"
Maybe people will actually use GFW now
Submitted by Gailim on Tue, 2008-07-22 13:09
I had a free two month trial when I bought universe at war. Never activated it though, since I figured nobody else would be online (and because that game had too many issues). PC gamers dont pay for online play, we havent from the start. why microsoft could come in and think they could charge us for "steam lite" is beyond me. maybe now I'll actually make an account, lets see if another cross platform game comes out, whipping up on console junkies sounds like fun!
Smart move on Microsofts part.
Submitted by pepper_roni on Tue, 2008-07-22 12:29
Maybe I will buy gears of war now.
Nice, but...
Submitted by Link2Ib on Tue, 2008-07-22 12:10
OK, this is a nice gesture, but what GFWL games are there? I can only think of Shadowrun, and only because the above poster posted it. Halo 2 maybe? I really have little to no interest in either of those games. Now if SC2 includes GFWL I might use it, but other than that I think they should have an out-of-game featureset too, i.e. instant messaging and friends lists, sort of like XFire. They should basically replicate XFire, or just buy it and rebrand it because it's great for communicating in-game for a huge list of games.
Submitted by pepper_roni on Tue, 2008-07-22 12:35
Dawn of war 2 is going to be GFW Live and now that its free those two things could get people into the idea of GFW live. They will finaly have a good game using the service, and it will be free.
Well, there are a scant
Submitted by TheMurph on Tue, 2008-07-22 12:24
Well, there are a scant number of Games for Windows Live titles: I can think of Shadowrun, Halo 2, Gears of War, Kane and Lynch, Universe at War, and Lost Planet: Colonies, to name a few.
As for ones that you can actually play cross-platform, well, take the available list of GFWL titles and shrink it to about 5 percent.
Awwwwwwweeesooooommmmmeeeeeee
Submitted by Netram on Tue, 2008-07-22 11:11
This means I can play Shadowrun again without paying a subscription! Shadowrun was so fun, very much overlooked and i look forward to kicking console ass!
Xbox 360 plays can suck my high skilled ass: http://i35.tinypic.com/nlz7m9.jpg
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