Following recent criticism from Valve’s Doug Lombardi, Microsoft has restated that its investment in the Games for Windows brand will be a long-term strategy, and is more than simply an arm of its Windows Vista marketing push.

Lombardi last week expressed fears that Microsoft’s commitment to the new platform could slow down once the Windows Vista release hype had run its course. But speaking to CVG, Games for Windows director Rich Wickham dismissed the concern.

“What I took from what Lombardi said was that, if Microsoft and Games for Windows was only about selling Windows Vista and this was just like a big 'pop' because Vista came out, that that would be a bad thing for PC gaming – I think he's right,” he stated. “I agree with that, I absolutely agree with that.”

“In fact that's not what we're trying to do here. I think we may have to prove – because we're Microsoft – our intentions over time, and that's exactly what we're going to do with Games for Windows.

“We're going to continue to invest in retail, we're going to continue to invest in the Games for Windows brand, we're going to continue to make sure that great titles come out on this platform and that you see... We're absolutely going to commit to what we're doing on Live.”