Games For Windows Live Multiplayer Goes Free

[NukemNazi]

Effective immediately, Its about damn time they took the hint:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168931

At the Gamefest 2008 event on Tuesday, Microsoft announced that all Games for Windows Live multiplayer features are now free. These features -- including multiplayer achievements, matchmaking, cross-platform play with the Xbox 360, GFW voice chat, and more -- previously required a GFW Live Gold account. The change is effective immediately and across all GFW titles, both past and future.

In addition to making Games for Windows Live free, Microsoft will also be creating a brand new GFW marketplace this fall to rival the marketplace found on the Xbox 360. As with the Xbox Live Marketplace, GFW's will offer demos, videos, downloadable content, and more. The GFW interface will also receive some tech-friendly changes, lowering requirements for developers looking to make their games GFW compatible.

To cap off the news, two new games were revealed to be receiving the Games for Windows branding: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II and Battlestations: Pacific. So PC gamers finally get the totally free service they've been asking for since Games for Windows launched, but is it too little, too late to save Microsoft's attempt at a PC gaming service? And will this make 360 owners question why they have to pay?

I will believe the marketplace thing when I see it.

[Murderklok]

I'm actually surprised that they are taken some action on this matter. I thought this would have died by now. I'm especially excited that they are lowering the requirements for GFW. Hopefully this will start moving the direction they intended in the first place.

[Dr_BenD_over]

I guess they finally realized PC gamers weren't going to pay for things they got for free for years.

[EarthAtGates]

It goes free AKA how it has always been with everything else?

[NukemNazi]

I guess they finally realized PC gamers weren't going to pay for things they got for free for years.

You know it would probably be the same thing with Live Gold accounts on Xbox if they're weren't so many ppl paying for it.

They are really going to have to beef up the service though to even come close to what Steam or even Impulse is gonna offer. Of course, I really don't know if they have to actually compete with them.

[braiog]

As far as going to make GFW something WORTHWHILE, they've taken the right first step, and demoted segregation. A breath of fresh air to see them move in this direction - maybe they're actually gonna listen to the community?

If so, hear me well, Microsoft. Get off yer ass with the Mechwarrior series! License it to a talented well-known developer, and get the ball rolling.

Smith & Tinker (never heard of them) say they successfully licensed the MW franchise, but they don't say what they'll do with it, and I'm not sure how talented an agency they are.

[mutelight]

How much were they charging for a PC account?

[braiog]

I want to say Silver was Free and Gold was like $40-$50USD/year.

[mutelight]

I want to say Silver was Free and Gold was like $40-$50USD/year.

Wow, the same amount they charged on their closed platform that required it for online play? Unlike the PC with hundreds of games that are completely free to play online. No wonder they pulled the plug, sounds like a total flop from the beginning.

[braiog]

I think that's what they finally began to realize.

Microsoft is, undeniably, popular with XB360 owners, who are happy to pay Internet Services + Membership fees for matchmaking and other related services.

Microsoft wanted to, understandably, gain a stranglehold on the gaming community by merging their PC community with their Console one (making a larger community than Sony/Nintendo easily)

But M$ went the wrong way about this. They started wheeling and dealing with companys who would put segregating features into their games, basically providing people with the free Silver accounts the ability to join a random Multiplayer game and little more, thinking that the PC people would gladly pay a membership fee to gain the abilities we've had free of charge since online multiplayer began.

How wrong they were.

After the spectacular failure of GFW (in both terms of players aggravated at developers who swalled that swill and in the limiting and segregating nature that membership caused), they are now realizing that to promote community, they need to respect us, rather than trying to find more and more ways to milk us for every cent.

It's bad enough Microsoft gets its hands in so many otherwise great game developers, but Microsoft themselves are sitting on licenses or handing them over to no-name developers who agree to do the project for the least amount of money so that MS can have another title they'll sell for $50 that isn't worth the money.

Bottom line is, Microsoft learned the hard way, that it takes genuine good natured actions to promote community. If Microsoft truly wanted to merge both XB360 and PC, they could, at no cost to either, all under the GFW (or Live) namesake, just by prying open their darn wallets every once in a while. It's not like they're hurting for funds.