Capcom Strips Games for Windows Live from Lost Planet 2, Ending Online Co-Op

Capcom has quietly released an update for Lost Planet 2 that removes support for Games for Windows Live (GFWL), effectively stripping the game of online functionality and erasing previously stored save data.

This change has come as a surprise to many fans, particularly those in the Lost Planet subreddit. Considering Lost Planet 2 is fundamentally a multiplayer-focused title, this move raises concerns. As noted in our [ttpp] review from 2010: "At its core it's a potentially great action game and it's very good-looking, but it explains itself so incredibly poorly and has such an awkward structure and poor checkpointing that a lot of the fun is ruined by interminable frustration — not to mention the fact that it's basically unplayable as a single-player game. It has a few genuine standout moments, especially on the rare occasions that everything works in co-op, but they don't balance out the faults."

While the removal of existing save data is disappointing, the observation that the game struggles in solo play makes the loss of GFWL even more critical, considering it was central to the game’s design.

As one player put it: “The whole selling point of the series is co-op.” Another added sarcastically: “May as well have just deleted the game from Steam at that point,” while another questioned: “They got rid of the online functionality in a game that is intended to be played in online co-op?”

GFWL was Microsoft’s service for PC gaming, offering features like Xbox achievements, matchmaking, and cross-platform compatibility. While it has been deprecated for some time, games still relying on it now face challenges ranging from login delays to full functional removal. Some players are holding out hope for a fix, though given *Lost Planet 2*’s age—now over 15 years—it seems unlikely.

On the bright side, this issue shouldn’t impact new players, as the game has been temporarily removed from sale. Capcom has posted a notice on the Steam store page stating: “We are aware of an issue that some customers may be experiencing during game installation which is related to Games for Windows LIVE. We are temporarily disabling the purchase option on Steam while we investigate the matter further. We will keep you informed of the progress of the investigation. Thank you for your patience.”

Other Capcom titles, including Street Fighter x Tekken and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, have also been affected, with similar messages appearing on their respective Steam pages. However, there is hope among fans that this could be a temporary situation—as was the case when Capcom replaced GFWL with Steamworks in Resident Evil 5.

We’ve reached out to Capcom for further comment and will provide updates as they become available.

For what it’s worth, we thought [ttpp] Lost Planet 2 was 'okay' when it released way back in 2010.