Stardock Boss: “If Games For Windows Takes Over, I’m Done”
Stardock Boss: “If Games For Windows Takes Over, I’m Done”
Posted 10/01/2009 at 11:24pm
| by Nathan Grayson
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Stardock’s Brad Wardell has never shied away from impulsive outbursts, but his latest is definitely one for the record books. When asked about his thoughts on Games For Windows Live, the outspoken CEO gave Microsoft quite the tongue-lashing.
“I started out as a big Games for Windows Live advocate,” he said. “I intended for Elemental to be on Games for Windows Live, but then as we got closer, the Xbox group took it over more and more. And they have things where, oh, if you want to use Games for Windows Live to update your game, you have to go through [their] certification. And if you do it more than X number of times, you have to pay money. It's like, ‘My friends, you can't do that on the PC.’”
“On the console, I don't have to update my game because an anti-virus program got an update and is now identifying my VB scripts as viruses and I have to apply an emergency patch. That would just add insult to injury. We've had to upgrade our games plenty of times over the years, not because we found some bug, but because some third-party program, or driver, or whatever screwed it up. If Games for Windows Live maintains that strategy and they take over, I'm done. I'm not making PC games. I would be done.”
We’d really miss Wardell if he left the PC gaming biz. We might also shed a tear or two for everything we know and love about PC gaming, as GFW’s regime would almost certainly snuff that out. But we’d miss Wardell more. Definitely.
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Tekzel
October 02, 2009 at 7:33am
Good god I dispise GFWL. I bought StreetFighter 4 on Steam and found out, to my utter horror, that it required a GFWL login to save games. What the FUCK is that about? I can't save games on my on freaking computer without going through GFWL? I wish I had known beforehand, and granted if I had done some more research I would have known, that this game required that POS. I would not have bought it.
I do like Brad Wardell though, the man speaks his mind. That is rare these days in PR. People try to sugar coat everything, and say things in ways that try to not be offensive to anyone. Brad just says it. Good for him, I appreciate that.
nekollx
October 02, 2009 at 8:04am
GFWL is on Fallout 3, after about 20 hours into my first game i register for GFWL
My saves are voided and i have to start again, but if i log out of GFWL then i have the old save UGH.
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
Tekzel
October 02, 2009 at 8:40am
If this is a recent occurance, you can actually just move your save games into your online GFWL folder and they will be available. This post explains it in detail:
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=814555
nekollx
October 02, 2009 at 8:45am
no it was months ago, i have since surpassed my no God Flocking Winblows Liver saves
------------------------------
Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
gamefanatic26
October 02, 2009 at 6:21am
It a pain in the ass just to deal with GFWL, especially when a company puts all there expansions for a game on GFWL and it is the only place to get them until the retail versions come out months later. Needless to say the game is fallout 3 and i was not willing to go through GFWL to get the expansion. Plus there are so many age restrictions on games, so you see i bought the the retail version and it would not even let me download the expansions even know my parents could care less and it was 5 days away for my 17th birthday then you have to call them to upgrade your account so you can get rated M games which is complete BS.
NebsiNsaNe
October 02, 2009 at 6:06am
GFWL is voluntary. Its not mandatory to go through the certification. Hardcore and veteran PC gamers are not going anywhere and the only attraction to GFWL is bringing Console gamers to the PC. There's not going to be a regime and PC gaming will be here as long as developers keep making those titles.
kevjohn
October 02, 2009 at 5:31am
Oh no!! Now we will never have any video games never ever! LET'S PANIC!!
DriZzLe
October 02, 2009 at 5:11am
GFWL has hurt more games than it has helped. It is a resource intensive program that MUST be running in the background the same time the game is running, Patches must go through Microsoft for approval, even if MS has nothing to do with the game, & the matchmaking it provides is a total joke at best.
The "idea" behind it is nice enough, but MS has never given it full attention to realize it's potential.
JIFF
October 02, 2009 at 6:14am
I did not know that, I have not checked the resource usage, but what the second monitor for then?
I used to believe it was a slow, paranoid software but that at least it was light, and I have to use, the two games I'm playing the most at the moment SFIV and Arkham Asylum use it, not to mention Steam launching batman and then GFWL, it takes forrever to start playing Arkham
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