THQ drops Games For Windows Live from multiple games
Divisive PC community and multiplayer service replaced with Steamworks for upcoming Warhammer titles
Publisher THQ (and developer Relic) will not include Microsoft's much-maligned Games For Windows Live tech for its forthcoming Warhammer 40,000 titles.
THQ has been a regular customer for Microsoft's multiplayer and community service, which many PC gamers have decried as troublesome and invasive despite its similarity in concept and interface to the more well-received Xbox Live.
The use of Games For Windows Live in Dawn of War II and its first add-on had also drawn ire due to the games also requiring a Steam account, thus requiring multiple logins to play.
In a move likely to please much of its community, standalone strategy expansion Dawn of War II: Retribution will instead use Valve's Steamworks platform, although its predecessors will not be patched to use the new back-end.
"This new back end will allow players to invite friends into matches from their Steam friends lists," explained THQ in a statement, "and take advantage of the full set of Steam community features including groups, achievements, and Steam overlay chat channels.
"We are also going to include an all new matchmaking and ranking set up, built specifically for Dawn of War II – Retribution.
"The move to Steamworks will also allow us to provide features like guest passes, free multiplayer weekends, pre-loading and the ability to provide fast turn-around on future patches and updates.
THQ last month confirmed that another Relic/Games Workshop title, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine would ship with Steamworks rather than Games For Windows Live, which would seem to signal that the publisher is set to move away from the service entirely.
GamesIndustry.biz has contacted THQ for further clarification as to its future use of Games For Windows Live.