Capcom has quietly updated Lost Planet 2 to remove Games for Windows Live (GFWL), effectively stripping the game of its online features and wiping out previous save files.
The move has surprised fans on the game's subreddit, especially since Lost Planet 2 is fundamentally a multiplayer experience. As noted in our 2010 review: "At its heart, it's a potentially great action title with impressive visuals, but it explains itself poorly, suffers from an awkward structure and frustrating checkpointing—often ruining the fun with endless aggravation. It's also nearly unplayable as a solo experience. While there are a few standout moments, particularly when co-op works smoothly, they aren't enough to outweigh the flaws."
Losing save data is bad enough, but that final point—"nearly unplayable as a solo experience"—is especially relevant now. Without GFWL, Lost Planet 2 has lost a core component of its design.
"The whole selling point of the series is co-op," remarked one player. "They might as well have delisted the game from Steam." Another questioned in disbelief: "…they removed online functionality from a game built for online co-op?"
Games for Windows Live was Microsoft's online gaming service, offering features like Xbox achievements, online multiplayer, and cross-platform play. Now deprecated, it leaves players of supported titles dealing with lengthy login delays or waiting for developer updates—which fans are hoping for here, though unlikely given the game's 15-year age.
On a positive note, new players won't be affected—Lost Planet 2 has been delisted from sale. Capcom posted a notice on its Steam page stating: "We are aware of an issue related to Games for Windows LIVE that may affect installation for some customers. We have temporarily disabled purchases on Steam while we investigate. We will provide updates as the investigation progresses. Thank you for your patience."
Other Capcom titles like Street Fighter x Tekken and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City are also impacted, with similar messages on their Steam pages. However, some hope this is temporary; when Capcom previously removed GFWL from Resident Evil, the team reportedly replaced it with Steamworks multiplayer.
We've reached out to Capcom for comment and will update if we receive a response.
We considered Lost Planet 2 'okay' when it launched back in 2010.
