Because .
It also quietly removed some live advertisements that once filled the client’s sidebar. For users still playing GFWL titles in 2013/2014, upgrading to 3.0.89.0 was essential to maintain online functionality. Games For Windows Live V3.0.89.0
The answer lies in preservation. Many classic PC games—some still sold on Steam today—originally relied on GFWL. Titles like Grand Theft Auto IV , Red Faction: Armageddon , Fable III , and Street Fighter X Tekken used GFWL for save encryption and multiplayer. For years after the shutdown, users who installed these games from original discs or early digital purchases were stuck. Without , offline play was impossible. Because
By the time arrived, Steam had already won the PC digital distribution war. Microsoft pulled the plug on August 15, 2014. Today, most affected games have been patched to remove GFWL: Dark Souls migrated to Steamworks, Bioshock 2 moved to Steam’s achievements, and Fallout 3 received a Games for Windows Live removal patch. The answer lies in preservation
For many titles, this client is a hard requirement. Without it, the game may fail to launch, crashing immediately with an error pointing to a missing "xlive.dll" file. Why Version 3.0.89.0 Still Matters