Games for Windows Live Marketplace is closing

['Press Start']

Are we saying these games are unplayable even before next gen starts?

[briareos_kerensky]

Again, the marketplace is closing down. Servers for authentication, download of already purchased content and other services will remain up.

[Hohum]

Microsoft made such a half-arsed effort with their GFWL service that it's no surprise it didn't take off. Rather than cater it more towards a PC audience and iterate on it continually to improve the functionality, they just turned up with something ripped from their console service and tried to force it on everyone. Despite all the criticism and the better services offered by third parties, they made no real attempt to improve it, and now it looks like it could be going for good as of next year.

What a waste of time and money that was. Some of the smartest people in the world work for that corporation, but given a lot of recent MS gaffes it would appear that may not apply to their management or marketing departments.

[Kit]

This might be an overstatement but Hohum is always right and the smartest man ever to live.

[Adam]

Looks like July 1st 2014 is the end of GFWL in its entirety. Any game that needs GFWL to function, will no longer function as of that date. Christ.

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Microsoft-Shutting-Down-GFWL-July-1st-2014-Why-People-Fear-Xbox-One-58433.html

[Kit]

FU microsoft. It's been one cock up after another.

Better get round to beating Arkham City then - yes, 2 years it's been sitting on my pc.

[eastyy]

so i wonder how piracy laws would be in that its the only way you can play some games

[FelixofMars]

The thing is like on games 10 years ago were company's would often patch our the disc check it is probably no work to do the same for GWFL. Just make a new application that does a local check instead of phoning home then allows anyone to play their game. I assume this is how the various cracks work anyway for GFWL games.

The truth is MS just don't care they see it simply as a licence that your renting so why do they need to bother?

[Brad]

This is why I don't mind digital download games on pc. When something like this happens you just go and torrent it. There's an escape route. This is the same company that wanted hourly checks on xbox one. Good job they cancelled that plan.