Games for Windows Live will live no more come July of next year. Microsoft said its PC gaming service would shut down in an update to an Age of Empires Online support page earlier today, Polygon reports, though it has since removed the following text:
"Games for Windows Live will be discontinued on July 1, 2014. Although it is available through Steam, Age of Empires Online requires features of the Games for Windows Live service. You can continue to enjoy all the features of Age of Empires Online as the service will remain 100% operational until July 1, 2014 when the server will shut down."
Microsoft plans to shut down the Games for Windows Marketplace on Aug. 22, 2013, though it said last week the service itself would persist. GFWL will be little mourned by PC gamers, many of whom found the service to be clunky, buggy, and--worst of all--not Steam.
Still, GFWL powers several PC ports such as Batman: Arkham City and Dark Souls. It's not clear if they will transition to another service or simply cease to function online when it shuts down.
We've asked Microsoft for more details on the (non) announcement and will update this story with any response.
UPDATE: Microsoft confirmed that Age of Empires Online will shut down on July 1, 2014, but declined to comment on GFWL's ultimate fate.
