Interview: Microsoft Games For Windows' marketing manager talks about their plans

Posted Jul 2nd 2009 5:00PM by John Callaham
Filed under: Features, Interviews

Just a few years ago Microsoft was one of the most prolific first and third party publishers for PC games, releasing titles like the Age of Empires/Mythology series, the Microsoft Flight Simulator series, the Mechwarrior series, Freelancer, Impossible Creatures, Rise of Nations and many more. However Microsoft has been doing some cost cutting in the past 18 months as they have shut down a number of their internal PC developers such as ACES Studio and Ensemble Studios while cutting back their third party PC game publishing lineup.

At the same time, Microsoft has tried to work with third party publishers on their Games For Windows marketing push for PC games, They have also tried to improve their Games For Windows Live online service which got off to a rocky start just over two years ago but has made improvements since then. Big Download got a chance to chat with Michael Wolf, the Senior Marketing Manager for Games for Windows Live, to get an update on their PC game development and publishing plans and their future plans for Games For Windows Live.

First, how have the cut backs in Microsoft employees, particularly the shut down of the ACES Studio (Microsoft Flight Simulator) and Ensemble Studios, affected Microsoft's Games For Windows program and their own PC game development plans?

The economy has taken a tough toll on the entire industry. That said, Microsoft still owns the classic IPs from ACES and Ensemble – Flight Simulator and Age of Empires – and we're committed to those franchises. I can't speak about our business strategy, but I can say that development on the PC is still a high priority for MGS.

Last March at GDC Microsoft revealed plans for several upgrades for the Games For Windows Live client including saving settings online. Can you give us more info on those upgrades?

One of our biggest concerns is helping protect third party publishers and developers from piracy, while also being sensitive to how our methods will ultimately affect gamers. What's great about this update is that these features are actually going to benefit both publishers and consumers. For example server-side authentication ties a game to your Games for Windows – LIVE account to help prevent unauthorized use, and also allows you to install it wherever and whenever you want, essentially without a limit. Add to that zero-day piracy protection which helps prevent the release of games before street date, and support for in-game Marketplace transactions, and it's really a complete set of online services for gamers and game-makers alike.

When can we expect those feature additions to Games For Windows Live to be released?

We'll be fully rolling out this update in the fall, and we've already had conversations with all of our publishing development partners about this update. We've received great feedback from the industry on the approach we're taking to preventing piracy, so I think you'll see a good number of publishers adopt our technology, and fairly quickly.

At the moment there's a lack of downloadable content for Games For Windows Live with only a few demos available and only the Fallout 3 DLC and Battlestations Pacific add-ons available. Why do you think more game publishers are not using the Games For Windows Live client?

It's important to remember that Games for Windows – LIVE Marketplace is still relatively new to the market, and there's an expected adoption period. The first three "Fallout 3" Game Add-ons have been some of the best-selling, most unique pieces of digital content on any platform this year, so they're a great example of the kinds of experiences we can enable through Games for Windows – LIVE Marketplace. I don't want to announce anything prematurely, but we will definitely have more content coming soon.

What upcoming PC games are Games for Windows and/or Games For Windows Live supported?

You can find the full Games for Windows and LIVE catalogues on our Web site, but we're especially excited to have two of the biggest titles on the PC this summer coming to Games for Windows – LIVE: "Batman: Arkham Asylum" and "Street Fighter IV." We already have a fantastic line-up of FPS, RTS and RPG titles on the service, and fast-paced action and fighting games like these showcase the diversity of the platform.

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Tags: featured, games-for-windows, games-for-windows-live, microsoft, windows-7

6 Comments

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

I am happy to have read this article. It is good to see that while I no longer deal with the GFW forum personally anymore, there is still some positive vibes coming from the idea itself.

I am looking forward to the PC games this summer myself. SF IV any moment now, and Batman next month. We also have Star Wars Republic Heroes and Red Faction Guerilla coming for sure, and a few other games that have yet to be annouced.

XBox 360 - GFWL still lives and thrives in the hearts and minds of the people who do want it to succeed.
Posted at 5:46PM on Jul 2nd 2009 by SidearmS

This interview (good one, btw) presents one of the main issues I have with GFW. There is little to no noise being made about what they have coming up, and barely what their doing now. As much as they like to say how important the PC is to them, they seem to do a good job in making that known. I can understand that the 360 marketing machine is probably much greater than GFW (and actually turns a real profit), but it doesn't cost a lot to put up a developer's blog, or set up interviews with as many major sites as possible.

When GFW unloads its new services and updates, I hope they do a better job at getting the word out going forward.Posted at 6:59PM on Jul 2nd 2009 by ChimpWithAHandgun

This interview is a crock. Nothing but white wash answers with little to no information about where they want to take the brand and its services.

It seems that its competitors have absolutely nothing to worry about. Its traditional Microsoft at work. Maybe if we're lucky, we will get to see vomit ads for this too. "Its GFWL!" *baarrfffff*Posted at 2:02PM on Jul 6th 2009 by Omega X

Is this service really needed on the pc?, its survived all this time without it why the big fuss now. I could understand if it helped stop piracy, or maybe set better standards of quality for games that are released under the GFW banner.

Sadly it looks like more baggage tacked onto pc games that the end user has to struggle with.
Posted at 4:30AM on Jul 6th 2009 by Sangor

@ Sangor - well, I think the "quality" of games under the GFW/GFWL banner is pretty good. Just on the "Live" side - GTA IV, Fallout 3, Gears Of War I, Dawn Of War II, Halo 2, Fuel, Street Fighter IV, and soon to have Batman with them. That is a pretty good diverse gaming lineup. You have everything from shooters to fighting games in that list. And on the GFW side, there are a tons of other titles too.

Understand, not everyone likes Steam/Valve (raises hand). Some customers still want something from their PC gaming that does not include "The Sims", "World Of Warcraft", or "Valve". There are plenty of great PC games out there, and they usually get crushed under the "World of Sims 4 Dead" rabid fandom that is usually present in PC gaming.

To ask if this is necessary is like me asking if Steam is necessary. There is no solid answer either way, but to call the client "baggage" is not correct. The Steam client is slower, takes more resources, and still does not have the matchmaking capabilities that Live has. I would rather have the GFWL client that the Steam one (or Rock Star Social Club as well).

And the MS Gamercard is the only one that crosses systems. I like that feature a lot considering I play a lot of 360 titles too.

XBox 360 - It is ok to not like Steam/Valve. No really, you can.
Posted at 1:48PM on Jul 6th 2009 by SidearmS

The economy has taken a tough toll on the entire industry i think Microsoft still owns the whole market by its remarkable chievemnt in the favor of its customers..............
http://www.electrocomputerwarehouse.com
Posted at 2:44AM on Jul 26th 2009 by Jacky