In a unanimous “it’s about time,” PC gamers are playing online for free after abandoning Microsoft and acquainting themselves with free services like Steam. With the launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft disgraced the PC’s open online roots and appalled legions of gamers when they tried to squeeze money from gamers who have been enjoying the freedom of PC gaming for years on their XP machines, and prior.
In an effort to backtrack and win back love (or at least dissipate some hate), Director of Games for Windows, Kevin Unangst, announced that Games for Windows LIVE would incorporate free multiplayer with no exceptions — including support for cross platform (with Xbox 360) games like Shadowrun.
This fall, Games for Windows is also rolling out a 360-esque Marketplace into the PC space, featuring content, trailers and demos. It is yet to be specified whether the Marketplace will offer full games to compete with Steam, but we wouldn’t go so far as to doubt it.
The summary? Ripped from the LIVE website:
• Games for Windows – LIVE makes great Windows games even better, now offering completely free online multiplayer including TrueSkill™ matchmaking
• 1 gamertag, 1 friends list, 1 list of achievements and gamerscore for your Windows-based PC & Xbox 360
• Experience cross-platform gameplay with Universe at War, Lost Planet: Colonies, Shadowrun, and more.
• Games for Windows – LIVE is available in every country and region supported today by Xbox LIVE®
About time.
Leave a Reply