As of a recent update, the Steam version of Fallout 3 no longer has Games for Windows Live!
No, we don’t blame you for that blank look. We’re honestly surprised it’s taken this long to strip Fallout 3 of Microsoft’s antiquated Windows-based online service. But, as reported by Kotaku, it’s been yanked thirteen years later.
It wasn’t really doing anything remotely important, since the post-apocalyptic action-RPG’s digital rights are already being managed by Steam and the game doesn’t have a multiplayer mode. But, for a good long while, it’d launch when you launched Fallout 3 and, if you were unlucky, it’d be the cause of a few crashes.
We only fell foul of GWFL a couple of times but we did have a pre-remaster version of Dead Rising 2 that wouldn’t install properly due to GFWL; it was technically shut down in 2014 but while some GWFL keys could be used with Steam, Dead Rising 2 wasn’t one of them.
Microsoft, who bought Fallout 3’s developer, Bethesda, now have Xbox Live PC in place which is far, far more robust than Games for Windows Live ever was. Still, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few content-deliver platforms. And if you’ve never played Fallout 3, with 70% off the regular Steam store price now’s a good time to see what you’ve been missing.
