Games for Windows Marketplace launches Nov. 15

Currently, the Games for Windows site offers a variety of games for digital download…provided you download and install the Games for Windows client. That will change on November 15, though, when Microsoft will launch a revamped version of its PC Games on Demand store called Games for Windows Marketplace.

The new store (pictured) will offer games for sale directly via the Web, without the need for a client. Customers won't even have to create store-specific accounts, but can sign in with a Windows Live ID. Games for Windows Marketplace will also accept payment in both real-world dollars and Microsoft points, the demi-currency used on Xbox Live and in the Zune Marketplace. Also, games will be redownloadable on any computer once purchased.

Games for Windows Marketplace will have 100 titles available when it launches, including such recent games as Capcom's Dead Rising 2 and Lost Planet 2. It will also have a deep catalog of classic titles, such as Grand Theft Auto III, Fable: The Lost Chapters, Max Payne, and Deus Ex. Third-party publishers such as Take-Two Interactive, Square Enix, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are also partnering with Microsoft. The latter's massively multiplayer game Lego Universe, will go on sale on the GFW Marketplace on its launch day, as will Microsoft's upcoming role-playing game, Fable III.