New game license activation is apparently no longer possible on Microsoft’s discontinued gaming service, Games For Windows Live.
Members of Discord channels (via Reset Era forums) for Shadowrun, Universe at War, and other Games For Windows Live (GFWL) titles are reporting that game license activation is no longer functional on the deprecated gaming platform. Based on what community members are saying, it appears that the activation service was recently shut down.
The shutdown of license activation services on GFWL will undoubtedly come as a disappointment to game preservationists. As of now, licenses for games like Street Fighter x Tekken, Lost Planet 2, Shadowrun, and Universe at War cannot be activated on any other PC platform. It’s up to the developers behind these titles to release them on alternate digital distribution platforms on PC, such as Steam and Epic Games Store. Since 2022, users have been unable to sign into GFWL via the Games for Windows Marketplace client. However, the in-game overlay continues to function across all previously purchased titles, whether obtained digitally or through retail. Login times through this overlay may take between one to five minutes.
For the uninitiated, Games For Windows Live was an online gaming platform created for PC titles under the Games for Windows brand, allowing them to connect with Microsoft’s Live network. Each user had a distinct Gamertag, enabling features such as online multiplayer, achievement tracking, messaging, friend status updates, and, until 2010, cross-platform voice chat. Some titles, like Shadowrun, supported cross-play between Windows PCs and Xbox 360 consoles.
Although third-party developers could access the service, they were required to comply with specific Technical Certification Requirements (TCRs). These included elements like game ratings, total Gamerscore points, content standards, game profiles, and Live integration. Additionally, Games for Windows Live titles had to follow the broader TCRs for standard Games for Windows titles. Developers also had access to the same support framework used by Xbox 360, including resources from Microsoft’s XNA Developer Connection.
