German Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, Microsoft revealed the new steps taken to evolve Games for Windows. In this regard, the Redmond company plans to enhance the gaming content available under the Games for Windows umbrella brand with new materials provided by Ubisoft Entertainment. The Windows operating system is the most popular gaming platform worldwide, with the Redmond company estimating a community of over 200 million gamers. Of course that Microsoft just provides the platform and the associated DirectX technology and the graphics infrastructure, while gaming publishers creating the ecosystem around the operating system are doing all the heavy lifting.

"Top video game publisher Ubisoft Entertainment was the latest to join the Games for Windows branding program. The first title Ubisoft will deliver is "The Settlers: Rise of an Empire." Ubisoft joins other publishing powerhouses such as 2K Games, Activision Inc., Atari Inc., EA Partners, LucasArts, Microsoft Game Studios, Midway Home Entertainment Inc., and SEGA by committing to ship select titles under the Games for Windows brand, a brand that ensures a high level of quality, compatibility and support for key safety features for gaming on Windows," Microsoft explained.

"Today we and our partners announced several products that dramatically improve the experience - and fun - for Windows gamers," said Kevin Unangst, global director of Games for Windows at Microsoft. "The addition of Ubisoft to the Games for Windows program and the continued innovation in PC gaming hardware is a huge win for gamers around the world who are experiencing the revival of the PC as a world-class gaming platform," he added referring to the revived Microsoft SideWinder Mouse.

Windows would be nothing without the content designed to work on top of it. By comparison, follow this link to see a unique perspective of Mac OS X as a gaming platform. However, the Redmond company emphasized that with the addition of Ubisoft, the majority of games publishers worldwide have already committed to offering materials for Windows.