Games for Windows Live Changes Make Them Free

Video gamers can cheer up now as Games For Windows Live are now completely free. Remember it used to have Gold level membership?  However, now Games for Windows Live are free at all levels.

Here is a Q&A from CNet.

What was the deciding factor that lead Microsoft to drop the Gold-level membership fee for Games for Windows Live?
Since we introduced Games for Windows Live we’ve listened to developers and to PC gamers and they said look, there’s a baseline expectation that multiplayer is a service that is just free on Windows; that is just how it works. Looking at it from a competitive angle, it makes sense for us to deliver on that expectation and to go above and beyond. We’re confident we have the best matchmaking service on the planet with TruSkill matchmaking and we want to make sure that’s available to the largest group of Windows gamers. Making this decision really was a natural part of focusing on what gamers want and what game developers told us what they wanted.

The cross platform multiplier is free with 360 included.

Microsoft also announced plans to launch a Games for Windows Marketplace feature sometime this fall. Presumably similar to the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Marketplace, this will be a location where people can download both free and paid games along with demos, trailers and other content. Microsoft has also announced plans to make the actual Games for Windows interface more “PC friendly”, which presumably means it will look less than the Xbox 360 UI it currently has. Big Download will have a chat with a Microsoft rep about these changes later this week.

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