Syphon Filter said:
Didn't they already tried the xbox live on pc when they first brought gfwl?
A rough history:
- They launch "Games for Windows Live", an Xbox Live style pay subscription service for PC. This is not accompanied with a marketplace (or if it is, it's an in-game DLC marketplace only), and it's just an Xbox Overlay Client for certain PC games + achievements.
- The subscription service fails, so it is made free.
- Later on, they launch Games for Windows (Live?) Marketplace, a desktop-based client to download certain games. Tinker is available for free at launch.
- Later on from that, they launch Games for Windows (Live?) Marketplace, a web-based store to do purchasing. I think they still had the client available to handle downloads. This was the web-based store that looked a lot like a cleaner, emptier Steam.
- After a while of doing this, they give up and transfer all of their GFWLM download management over to Xbox.com, where it is now. You can still buy the same games, but it's all managed through there. The poster is using the GFWM desktop client and it's directing him to Xbox.com. This is where we are now.
- In the future, they plan to more fully integrate their gaming initiative, which will probably be called Xbox Live, into Windows 8. Unknown if they'll use a desktop client, a web client, both, a hybrid like Steam, or if it'll be built right into the OS.