Microsoft: Games for Windows Live service ending July 2014

Games for Windows Live services will be discontinued on July 1, 2014, according to a since-deleted support update from Microsoft. The closure will have a major impact on at least one Windows PC title, Age of Empires Online, which will end its service on the same day, according to the statement.

Microsoft posted the following update on the Age of Empires Online support page on Xbox.com earlier today, but later removed it.

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.

Last week, the company said it will shut down the Games for Windows Marketplace on Aug. 22. When Microsoft posted the marketplace shutdown notice, it said Games for Windows Live would continue to operate as usual.

Developers and publishers that have traditionally used Games for Windows Live for multiplayer, leaderboards and other features have started to move away from Microsoft's services. Capcom, which tapped Games for Windows Live for Street Fighter 4, Dead Rising 2, Resident Evil 5 and more, said it will not use the service for Ultra Street Fighter 4. When reached for comment about the status of already-released Games for Windows Live PC titles, a Capcom representative said "We do not have details to share yet."

Polygon has reached out to Microsoft and other publishers who have released Games for Windows Live titles and will update with new information when it becomes available.