Despite its rocky start with Halo 2 and Shadowrun, Microsoft's Games for Windows - Live initiative has been gaining support. During this year's E3 Media and Business Summit, GFW - Live general manager Chris Early noted that the service was being integrated into Epic Games' popular Unreal Engine 3, and that the publishing giant was actively courting other game-engine creators to incorporate Microsoft's technology. (Early also indirectly indicated at the time that the service would no longer be saddled with its strict Vista requirement, and that a Windows XP version of GFW - Live has now been created and can be integrated into existing XP games.)

　　Paving the way for further adoption, Microsoft announced today that the second update for GFW - Live is being readied for November. Bringing the service more in line with its Xbox 360 counterpart, the update will allow gamers to record offline achievement points to add to their gamerscores, as well as update the service's user interface to reflect friends' "joinable" in-game status and other similar features.

　　Trumping up currently slated offerings for the service, Microsoft also noted that several upcoming PC titles will feature GFW - Live connectivity. Included in this list are Sega's The Club and Universe at War: Earth Assault as well as Microsoft Game Studios' Viva Piñata and Gears of War. Eidos' Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, whose online multiplayer component was just revealed, will also take advantage of GFW - Live.