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Microsoft's last attempt to support PC gaming brought forth Games for Windows Live, a service that was not well received amongst PC gamers. Since then, new people have taken over at Microsoft's gaming division and the company has a new outlook, deeming Games for Windows Live ‘the wrong approach'.
Going forward, Microsoft fully intends to support Steam, as it brings over new games to the platform, like Gears of War and Halo Wars 2 next year. Speaking with PC Gamer at Gamescom this week, Kevin Unangst, Senior Director of PC gaming at Xbox, explained what happened with GFWL: “Games for Windows was a prior approach where it was more, at that time, like ‘how do we take things? We knew we wanted to help make great multiplayer, we knew we wanted to bring things over… but it wasn't the right approach.”
With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft has taken to branding its PC games as ‘Windows 10' games specifically, which brought along the worry that future Microsoft titles might be Windows Store exclusive in some form, rather than on Steam. However, it seems that Microsoft has no intention to compete with Steam this time around:
“We are not intending to compete with Steam. If anything, we want Steam to be even more successful—they've done great things for PC gamers in terms of having a single store. Over time do we want more developers to come over to our store and offer it in addition to Steam? Absolutely. Is competition good for people? Absolutely. But our goal right now isn't to do anything else other than support Steam and help it run great on Windows 10.”
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KitGuru Says: So from the sounds of it, while Microsoft would like developers to put games up on the Windows Store in addition to Steam, it isn't going to be a requirement. Obviously Microsoft would like to have its own store be successful but given the behemoth Valve has created with Steam, it is unlikely that the company will try to fight back much.
Steam
is actually sitting on more fragile ground than it would like to admit. Given
that at least two of the major production houses, EA and Ubisoft, have already
established separate PC games platforms of their own, in an attempt to gain
independence from Steam, I see no reason why they might not agree to put their
games on Windows 10 Marketplace as well. Why not? When Microsoft already has a
healthy relationship with developers, due to DirectX etc. I can’t see these
companies saying no to healthy market competition, especially with the
aggressive market strategy Valve is pursuing (Greenlight/SteamOS/Steam in-house
streaming etc.).
At the end of the day Steam needs Microsoft – OpenGL’s not going anywhere, and
Vulkan seems to have dropped off the map. That leaves DirectX, now that AMD are
no longing backing Mantle. No developer in their right mind is going to give up
DirectX given the choice, when it’s the API de jour for both Xbox and PC. So
that leaves all the cards in Microsoft’s hands, and for all Gaben’s sabre rattling, I reckon if Microsoft decided to consolidate both Windows and console gaming under the Xbox brand and make DX12 Xbox exclusive (remember they’ve already excluded PS4 from it), he’d sh*t a brick as all the developers left his platform in mass exodus.
Except most people don’t like uplay, origin has upped its reputation but still not as big as valve seeing as its only EA games. As for ps4 not getting dx12, they don’t need it, consoles run a much more efficient api without the overhead that dx12 and other pc api’s have.
Also, AMD have stopped working on Mantle but are putting their efforts towards Vulkan, as are Nvidia, they both want it to succeed.
As for steams aggressive marketing strategy, greenlight is to help indie games get more recognition and bring more of the games the customers want to see on steam, steamOS is a simple linux based OS for gaming, you can still install origin and everything else on there, and its to try and stop Microsofts market dominance for gaming. Steam in house streaming is an amazingly useful feature that can stream any games on your system, as long as you add them to steam on your computer, so not glimiting you to games brought on their platform.
The fact that it’s only EA games is exactly the point; they’re not sharing their games with Valve, as it’s cutting into their profits. Ubisoft may sell their games through Origin, but you can’t run them without Uplay; I wonder how long it is before they make the same move as EA?
I’m pretty sure EA and Ubisoft would be more willing to cut a deal with Microsoft than Valve; in fact, I am certain, as they’ve shown they’d rather do *anything* but cut a deal with Valve. When you consider the existing deals with Microsoft to put their games on Xbox One, Microsoft’s desperate desire to get their Windows Marketplace actually going somewhere, and the fact that Microsoft is a leviathan, that can afford to put EA’s and Ubisoft’s game on Windows Marketplace for free, or somewhere near that mark (they’re already letting them use Windows and DirectX 12 for free), then it’s really a no brainer for EA/Ubisoft, and the same reasoning applies to just about anyone else. Why work with a middleman when you can cut out his share and sell without paying a tariff?
Xbox One will be using DirectX 12. The comparisons to console APIs are irrelevant anyway, as Valve cannot utilise them, as they are not designed for the linux environment SteamOS will run on. The only APIs available to SteamOS are OpenGL (yeah, dream on) and Vulkan. I have heard nothing on Vulkan since E3, and Nvidia and AMD are certainly not pushing it (or at least letting us know they are); evidence enough that when AMD told developers to stop using Mantle, they told them to focus on DirectX 12, not Vulkan. Nvidia and AMD have been bombarding us with information about DirectX 12 for the last 6 months, and I think most people have actually forgotten what Vulkan is. Interesting they haven’t made any public appearance at Gamescom – they must have either a pretty incredible marketing team, or the worst one in the world. Remember also that Vulkan is also in a far, far more basic state than DX12, which is on the market now, and follows on from over 10 years of developer usage.
Again, it’s a total no-brainer: I repeat; DirectX 12 is the API du jour for developers.
Nice explanation of green light, SteamOS and streaming; fortunately, I do actually happen to know what they are, hence why I mentioned them.
Green light is nothing short of a declaration of war on publishers, because it cuts them out the revenue stream, and deals directly with the developer.
SteamOS is an attempt to roll the gaming platform away from the open – and royalty free – platform of Windows, to a proprietary, locked down platform. Kind of like a console, except without the cheap development cost because of locked down hardware and OS,
In-House Streaming is exactly the opposite to what publishers want to see, as is family sharing/game lending.
^ This is the point I was making. I agree with you – they’re all incredible, fantastic ideas, and a gift to the gaming community. However, EA and Ubisoft aren’t the gaming community.
At the end of the day, Valve’s goals are intrinsically opposed to publishers like EA and Ubisoft. They’re both middle-men between creator and consumer. They both want to maximise profit, power and influence. They cannot do this together, as one’s gain, is the other’s loss. Microsoft represents a neutral party – it always has. Therefore, it is a much better strategic partner for publishers, and if push came to shove, I know whose ship they would jump into.
The fact that it’s only EA games is exactly the point; they’re not sharing their games with Valve, as it’s cutting into their profits. Ubisoft may sell their games through Origin, but you can’t run them without Uplay; I wonder how long it is before they make the same move as EA?
I’m pretty sure EA and Ubisoft would be more willing to cut a deal with Microsoft than Valve; in fact, I am certain, as they’ve shown they’d rather do *anything* but cut a deal with Valve. When you consider the existing deals with Microsoft to put their games on Xbox One, Microsoft’s desperate desire to get their Windows Marketplace actually going somewhere, and the fact that Microsoft is a leviathan, that can afford to put EA’s and Ubisoft’s game on Windows Marketplace for free, or somewhere near that mark (they’re already letting them use Windows and DirectX 12 for free), then it’s really a no brainer for EA/Ubisoft, and the same reasoning applies to just about anyone else. Why work with a middleman when you can cut out his share and sell without paying a tariff?
Xbox One will be using DirectX 12. The comparisons to console APIs are irrelevant anyway, as Valve cannot utilise them, as they are not designed for the linux environment SteamOS will run on. The only APIs available to SteamOS are OpenGL (yeah, dream on) and Vulkan. I have heard nothing on Vulkan since E3, and Nvidia and AMD are certainly not pushing it (or at least letting us know they are); evidence enough that when AMD told developers to stop using Mantle, they told them to focus on DirectX 12, not Vulkan. Nvidia and AMD have been bombarding us with information about DirectX 12 for the last 6 months, and I think most people have actually forgotten what Vulkan is. Interesting they haven’t made any public appearance at Gamescom – they must have either a pretty incredible marketing team, or the worst one in the world. Remember also that Vulkan is also in a far, far more basic state than DX12, which is on the market now, and follows on from over 10 years of developer usage.
Again, it’s a total no-brainer: I repeat; DirectX 12 is the API du jour for developers.
Nice explanation of green light, SteamOS and streaming; fortunately, I do actually happen to know what they are, hence why I mentioned them.
Green light is nothing short of a declaration of war on publishers, because it cuts them out the revenue stream, and deals directly with the developer.
SteamOS is an attempt to roll the gaming platform away from the open – and royalty free – platform of Windows, to a proprietary, locked down platform. Kind of like a console, except without the cheap development cost because of locked down hardware and OS,
In-House Streaming is exactly the opposite to what publishers want to see, as is family sharing/game lending.
^ This is the point I was making. I agree with you – they’re all incredible, fantastic ideas, and a gift to the gaming community. However, EA and Ubisoft aren’t the gaming community.
At the end of the day, Valve’s goals are intrinsically opposed to publishers like EA and Ubisoft. They’re both middle-men between creator and consumer. They both want to maximise profit, power and influence. They cannot do this together, as one’s gain, is the other’s loss. Microsoft represents a neutral party – it always has. Therefore, it is a much better strategic partner for publishers, and if push came to shove, I know whose ship they would jump into.
Know your place Microsoft.
You’re so wrong in so many ways the thought of trying to educate you is giving me a headache. Please stick to consoles.
Strange, I managed to get through school, college and university without much trouble.
I’ve gamed exclusively on PCs for 10 years now. Do I not qualify if I don’t think the sun shine’s out of Gabe’s a*sehole?
Here is how you can get paid for working few hrs each week from your living room>Find out more by clicking on my disqus profile
Origin (EA Account?) is a load of arse with a few exclusives that just serve to annoy consumers and UPlay is not so much a storefront as an irritation on the way to playing my Steam games.
Can’t really see them as big, game changing (hah…) rivals any time soon.
Oh thank god for that… another “Games for Windows” debacle would not be welcome.
hopefully EA follows. I hate origin. I also hate the platform for Battlefield 3/4, i always have issues joining games. I hope Star Wars Battlefront doesnt have that stupid thing.