But that's not all. To reward those gamers who have been with the service from the beginning, Microsoft will be giving refunds to gamers who have been subscribing to the Games for Windows Live service specifically. "Yes, there will be a benefit for customers who purchased gold subscriptions on Windows," said Unangst. "Proactively, we will be offering refunds for those with Windows-specific Gold subscriptions. Customer service has already begun to get communications prepared."

In addition, Microsoft plans to launch a Windows Live equivalent of the Xbox Live Marketplace. PC gamers will be able to access free and for-pay downloadable games, trailers, demos, and more. This will give developers and publishers a new outlet for content, leveraging Microsoft's reach, which will complement continued improvements of the Games for Windows Live APIs behind the scenes and the elimination of licensing fees for developers leveraging the platform or royalty fees for using the brand.

The marketplace will include "exclusive content optimized for [the platform]." And, though "there will be some overlap" between the Xbox Live Marketplace and the GFW Live one, "the portfolios and catalogs will cater directly to the specific audience." Unangst used Fallout 3 as an example of a game that would have content on both.