Market Share Missteps Lead Microsoft Back To Steam Digital Distribution

Microsoft’s Games for Windows Live platform launched in 2007 and never really got off the ground since. It was a online digital distribution platform and community hub for Game for Windows branded PC games. Users, are given a unique Gamertag (the Microsoft username service for gaming that began on Xbox Live) and are then able to play online, keep track of their friends’ status, send and receive messages, gain and keep track of Achievements and associated Gamerscore, voice chat across platforms (removed in 2010), and much more.

Some games allow for cross-platform play, such as Shadowrun, putting Windows players against Xbox 360 players. It was marred by performance bugs, login issues and more. Year after year more petitions were drafted by disgruntled gamers pleading to a publisher for removal of a given game from the GFWL platform.

Despite it all, and to bolster the brand Microsoft pulled support for Games for Windows PC games from competing digital distribution platform Steam owned by Valve Corp. But in a several year-long about-face Microsoft seems to be changing its stance on supporting Steam. The company’s Phil Spencer, overlord of the Xbox team at Microsoft calls Steam “The one that got away.” 

Regardless he continues, “I look at Steam today, it’s on an incredible growth trajectory,” Xbox boss Phil Spencer says positively. “It’s a massive force in gaming; a positive force. I think it will be bigger a year from now than it is today. And five years later it will still be bigger again.” Now to be fair, Microsoft is still competing with Steam and there will undoubtedly be some exclusivity in titles where Steam will not receive key titles Microsoft will hold close to the vest.

Titles that ship on both Xbox and PC may only appear on Microsoft platform for a number reasons. “There’s going to be areas where we cooperate and there’s going to be areas where we compete. The end result is better for gamers.

We will ship games on Steam again.” It’s true some older titles have found a home on Steam. Ars Technica makes note, While some of Microsoft’s older game titles, such as Age of Empires II HD (a 2013 update of a 1999 game) are found on Valve’s Steam platform, its latest high-profile titles, such as Forza 6 Apex and Quantum Break, are exclusive to the Windows Store. But this is going to change, with Microsoft planning to release more titles on the more popular Steam.

Share on social networks

Henley Johnson

Henley currently works as a sales representative for Direct Liquidation, assisting businesses with product sourcing of liquidated merchandise from the largest retailers in the world. Whether you are looking for a pallet or a truckload Henley is here to help you grow your business.

View Henley’s Bio on YouTube.