Kotaku
Following a lackluster infomercial CES keynote, Microsoft sent out a press release this morning touting the "powerful momentum" of Games for Windows and the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles including Alone in the Dark and LEGO Indiana Jones.
"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."
The full list of new GFW games includes:
• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)
The release also went on to point out that the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue last year and has a projected increase of 20 percent. I wonder if that now includes the Wii? Hit the jump for the full release.
Microsoft Unveils New Titles and Powerful Momentum for Games for Windows
New titles added to the Games for Windows portfolio; Games for Windows initiative and MSN Games going strong.
LAS VEGAS — Jan. 7, 2008 — Following one of the hottest years in video game history, Microsoft Corp. today announced at the 2008 International CES the addition of new titles to the Games for Windows portfolio and strong first-year results for the Games for Windows initiative. Games for Windows drove the PC gaming category in 2007 with some of the most popular Windows-based games available, and will continue the momentum for Windows-based gaming in 2008.
"Games for Windows truly thrived in 2007. We went from two titles in 2006 to a continually growing portfolio of over 60 titles here at CES 2008," said Kevin Unangst, senior global director of Games for Windows in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We delivered on our promise one year ago to reinvigorate the PC gaming space and bring the best portfolio of games to Windows. And this is just the beginning. With our partners, we will continue to drive the resurgence of Windows-based gaming."
CES attendees will get to experience some of the great games of 2008, with six upcoming Games for Windows titles on the show floor: "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive), "Frontlines: Fuel of War" (THQ), "Space Siege" (SEGA), "Turning Point: Fall of Liberty" (Codemasters) and "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition" (Carbonated Games), a game for Windows Live Messenger.
Delivering Great Games
Microsoft announced the addition of nine new Games for Windows-branded titles joining the portfolio from renowned publishers Atari Inc., Capcom, Eidos Interactive, LucasArts, Microsoft Game Studios, SEGA and Stardock., bringing the growing Games for Windows portfolio to more than 60 titles. "Alone in the Dark" (Atari) and "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock) join other branded games from top publishers around the world committed to delivering quality-tested Games for Windows titles, including 2K Games, Activision Inc., EA Partners, Midway Home Entertainment Inc. and Ubisoft. New Games for Windows-branded titles announced at CES include the following:
• "Alone in the Dark" (Atari)
• "Bionic Commando" (Capcom)
• "Conflict: Denied Ops" (Eidos Interactive)
• "Empire: Total War" (SEGA)
• "LEGO Indiana Jones" (LucasArts)
• "Microsoft Train Simulator 2" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Sins of a Solar Empire" (Stardock)
• "Space Siege" (SEGA)
• "Tomb Raider: Underworld" (Eidos Interactive)
Other highly anticipated Games for Windows-branded titles expected to release in 2008 include "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures" (Funcom, Eidos Interactive), "Borderlands" (2K Games), "The Club" (SEGA), "Fallout® 3" (Bethesda Softworks®) and "Frontlines: Fuel of War" (THQ).
Driving the PC Gaming Industry Forward
In a year when gaming was one of the most popular choices of entertainment, the Games for Windows initiative drove the PC gaming category forward. Games for Windows has brought Windows-based gaming to the forefront of retail stores, raising consumer awareness of Games for Windows titles and positioning the category for successful sales. In November 2007 alone, the Games for Windows portfolio accounted for 20 percent of all PC game sales at retail stores in the United States, according to the NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service.
"Games for Windows-branded titles were among the most popular Windows-based games purchased as gifts this holiday," said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising for GameStop Corp. "Microsoft's efforts to revive Windows-based gaming have helped grow the category."
Consumers can find Games for Windows titles featured in retail stores including GameStop, Circuit City and Wal-Mart in the United States, and PC World, Game, Media Markt and Saturn in Europe.
Casual Games on Windows: Windows Live Messenger Games and MSN Games
According to the Casual Games Association, the casual games industry generated $2.25 billion in revenue in 2007 worldwide, with a projected increase of 20 percent in 2008. Microsoft is a leader in the casual games space through gaming platforms including MSN Games and Windows Live Messenger Games. Today, MSN Games is enjoyed by 14 million people each month and offers them more than 600 games to play including "The Office," "Luxor 3" and "Diner Dash: Hometown Hero." Windows Live Messenger Games reaches 16 million people per month around the world and has 26 games to choose from, including the new exclusive title "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition." "Jigsaw Too Photo Edition" is available now and lets players personalize the game by inserting their own photos. Players can also cooperate with each other via Windows Live Messenger to solve their personalized jigsaw puzzles.
About Games for Windows
Microsoft Windows is the most popular operating system in the world for games, delivering the widest range of titles, the most gaming hardware choices and advanced gaming technology for players of all types. With Windows as the cornerstone, the Games for Windows platform offers publishers and gamers the most enjoyable and innovative gaming experiences available on a PC. More information can be found online at http://www.gamesforwindows.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Comments
Bionic Commando for Windows? Nooooooo...
Oh my its comming out on windows also? :x
@xpnet: I hope I don't get baned for that one..
@xpnet:
It was nice knowing you ;)
@xpnet:
I don't get it, is it a moai?
@xpnet:
It's like a train wreck from "Microsoft Train Simulator 2"
@SolCutter: I think it looks more like the statues in Easter Island: [en.wikipedia.org]
@anarfox: NM. Didn't realize that a moai was exactly that.
Erm, Indy really renders well in LEGO form. :p
Lego Indiana Jones, GIMME!
I am love with the pic of Lego Indy. I want to play that game NOW!!! (But seriously NOT on PC. Is that what this story was about?)
Lego Star Wars/Batman/Indy FTW.
What I really want is Lego Harry Potter: The Complete Saga. Oooooohhh.....
@lionkitten: Wow you're crazy for Lego games!
I'm not a huge fan of Lego games but if this means we'll finally get a goo Indy game then I'm all for it and I can't wait!
/yawn.....
I read that as "Sims Of A Solar Empire"... Wonder what Will Wright could do with *that*...
I've pretty much written GFW off for myself when they pulled that DX10 Vista only crappola.
I will use XP till it can no longer be used and then make the full switch to Linux and move most of my gaming to consoles. I'm sure Carmack and co. will continue to push the limits of OGL as long as hardware manufacturers don't abandon it, but I was utterly ticked off at their move to push an OS on gamers. Homie don't play dat.
@Sparx88: sadly enough, it took effort to post that.
@invictus: Why wait? Do it now and enjoy all the awesome games on Linux. May I suggest Mac OSX? Enjoy :)
I know this may not have been the ideal place for it, but WHERE IS THE "ALAN WAKE" NEWS?? I'm starting to think this game is moving in to Neverland, next to Duke Nukem, Axl Rose, and the further adventures of the Boondock Saints.
Space Siege, eh? Obviously besieging a dungeon wasn't challenging enough for these guys. Honestly, what's going on with these names?
@Witzbold: Of course it's coming out for Windows. This is GRIN, I don't think they've developed a console game ever.
Yay! Games for Windows! That's sooo awesome, that's soooo great!!
At long last we get crippled online multiplayer you've got to pay for!! WOOOT!!
You also need to upgrade to a crappy and expensive OS nobody would care about, if MS wasn't forcing developers to use it by no longer supporting WinXP...
Yay for Games For Windows!!
soooooo awesome!
@little_dragon: Sounds like you're confusing Games for Windows Live with Games for Windows. Games for Windows = a good thing, with multiplayer still being free
@SolCutter: Ansi Indi Art generator .. just doesn't work on Kotaku posts :(
Thank you Kotaku admins for sparing my commenting ignorance..
Bleh!
@okenny :):
yeah well I'm still on break. I can afford to spend a little effort every now and then :)
Games for Windows? Don't really have a problem with that, I use Windows.
Windows Live? It can go to hell...I'll use my free Steam, thank you.
@Garo: What exactly is your problem?
There ALWAYS seems to be a few people who for whatever reason get upset over the announcement that console games are coming to the PC. Do yourself a favor and stop being jealous that the best platform is seeing more games. Games for Windows is a great thing and it's nice to see Microsoft at least make some kind of effort to get more games out to the PC that are typically on the consoles.
Games for Windows LIVE is dumb because you have to pay for online services that are free with other games, which is why it's going to have a tough time.
But you people who get upset over console games being released on the PC seriously, seriously piss me off. Grow the hell up.
Wow. 60 titles. And old Windows only had thousands of titles. What an amazing improvement. Plus, Games for Windows offers exclusive Blue Screen of Death functionality.
so...were there any non-sequel or spinoff titles mentioned in that entire thing? i saw borderlands.
So it turns out that Microsoft had a non-defective 360 on the market all along. The SKU is called a "PC" apparently.
oh boy lego indiana jones..give me a fucking break
Lego Indy should be awesome, I hope the come up with some great traps in the Lego Temples and Lego Nazi's can't help but entertain.
With all these Lego games popping up it makes me wonder if they will ever make some kind of crossover game featuring all the series together, "Legoland RPG: The Curse of the Golden Hand". A bit like Kingdom Hearts but with less Disney and more plastic heroes.
@THOSERAPTUREBLUES: Sins of a Solar Empire is hardly a sequel/spinoff. I'll admit, though, that list is quite heavy in iterative releases.
But where's the Lego Alone in the Dark?
@Alvarez:
Have you tried LEGO Star Wars? Realize that The LEGO Company came to the conclusion a few years back that their game development sucked donkey balls, and then instituted a policy that they will only license their properties out to _real_ game devs. LEGO Star Wars was the result of that, and the same people are behind LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman.
@invictus:
LEGO Indiana Jones?
Wait, what? The official GFW website states that most games will be both XP and Vista compatible, but that a requirement for GFW branding is that it _has_ to be Vista compatible. Or is this about DX10 only being available for Vista users? I can't see the TT Games people cutting off XP users (they better not), especially as there's really no clear need to do so. It's not like little plastic bricks are all that hard to render.
@invictus:
Why? It's not like it's never happened before. When's the last time you bought a game that was DOS-compatible? Or even ME-compatible? In truth, it's not unlike forcing gamers to upgrade to new consoles every so often. It limits some of the variables in system setup, and makes it easier to develop a stable game. The only downside here is that operating systems are known to be inherently buggy when they're initially released (a problem that's not exclusive to Windows, BTW), and many users prefer to choose the date of their switch based on when the system reaches a certain level of stability (usually when the first security-enhancing service pack is released).@thoseraptureblues:
i hate these lego ideas why cant they make a basic indianna jones game/
Tomb Raider: Underworld...is Lara going to take on Satan?
Aww, I was hoping for Alan Wake.
what does games for windows offer besides making the game box ugly?? how i love those stupid marketing gimmicks and the monkeys who drool over it...
Lego Indiana Jones makes my pants dance. I love Indiana Jones. :P
It's going to be interesting going from Microsoft Flight Simulator to Microsoft Train Simulator.
Drawbacks: Steering is less interesting when driving a train.
Advantages: When you drive your train into a mountain, you come out the other side.
(nitpicking)
Don't be so lazy!
At least be so decent and write "Fony" when using words like "Msoft" instead of writing the correct name.
:-p
Lego Indy.
WANT.
(along with the physical playsets and minifigs -- have you guys SEEN the temple from the opening of "Raiders", with the idol, and the giant boulder, and everything?!)
Bionic Commando and Indy Lego, please.
@Evil Tortie's Mom:
First of all, what's up with the fact that whenever I try to reply to your messages, the little quote arrow (or it's previous equivalents) never works right? I always have to track down your message number and recode it all by hand.
Anyways, when she says "everything", she means _everything_. There is not one booby trap in the opening temple sequence that has not be included, in some fashion or another, in the Temple Escape set. This is all in addition to the inclusion of Satipo, Belloq, and Jock minifigs, Jock's seaplane (with OB-CPO ID# stickers), a snake to stick in the copilot seat, and an actual gold-colored representation of the fertility idol that Indy, uh, steals for Belloq. Where the Star Wars line failed to even consider the idea of playsets for the first couple years (and still seems reluctant to do much with them), the Indiana Jones line embraced them like a long-lost relative with both the Temple Escape and the lesser Well of Souls playsets.
@Purple Dave: Yeah I've played Lego star wars, it wasn't my thing. I like more realism and being immersed into games and there are some really good star wars games already out there that fit that description. Indy games, however, aren't known to be so great so I'm looking forward to this one.
I read that as 'LEGO: Total War'. I was so happy for those fleeting moments.