"There will be a benefit for customers who purchased gold subscriptions on Windows," Unangst told Ars Technica. "Proactively, we will be offering refunds for those with Windows-specific Gold subscriptions. Customer service has already begun to get communications prepared."

Many Games for Windows-branded PC titles including Bungie's Halo 2 and FASA Interactive's Shadowrun required a subscription to make use of features such as matchmaking and cross-platform play, effectively requiring a subscription for functional online multiplayer experience.

Games for Windows Live formerly featured a pricing structure similar to that of the Xbox 360's Xbox Live online platform, with Gold subscriptions costing $49.99 for a year, $19.99 for three months and $7.99 for a one-month subscription.