Disney (whose game division seems to continually reorganize and rebrand itself every year, so I've given up keeping track) has updated TRON 2.0 and TRON Evolution on Steam.

The TRON Evolution update occurred on June 28th, 2017. With the TRON 2.0 update following a couple of days later, on June 30th, 2017.

Both are stated as having "Windows 10 compatibility" updates applied to them. While the official news about the update for TRON Evolution posted on Steam is accurate, the news for TRON 2.0 is a bit of a mischaracterization about what the update entails.


The version of Games for Windows Live (GFWL) bundled with TRON Evolution on Steam, until now, was the same version included on the PC Retail DVD disc version. This version of GFWL only worked correctly on Windows 7, Vista, and XP.

Installing the game from Steam on any version of Windows later than 7, would result in the installation attempt failing. The end-user would be required to find, download, and install the most recent GFWL in order to solve this issue and allow installation to complete. With the Steam update, this is no longer necessary.

Contrary to rumor, GFWL has not been completely shut down. Only the GFWL marketplace (where you could buy games) was closed. You are still able to log into GFWL, and still play Multiplayer matches, in TRON Evolution. (GFWL simply utilizes Xbox Live servers in order to function. So there's little reason for Microsoft to end GFWL support, as long as Xbox Live continues to exist.)



For TRON 2.0, the game has always been able to run properly on Windows 10. As shown in the video above.

But an extra launcher program (TronLauncher.exe) was added to the Steam release. This launcher was flawed, and could prevent the game from starting on Windows 10. (For that matter, it also could prevent the game from starting on Windows 8.1, 8, and even 7.)

I created a patched version of the launcher, and made it available almost immediately after this was introduced to the Steam release. Disney has now patched the launcher in the same manner, meaning the end-user is no longer required to find, download, and install an alternative launcher that would allow the game to run.

However, the game itself has not been updated.

No version of TRON 2.0 (Steam, GOG, and certainly not Retail) has received any Windows 10 specific updates to the game itself. Or official updates of any kind, for that matter. No new in-game features have been added, and no additional bugs fixed, since the game's final retail patch in 2003. Only unofficial fan-made updates exist at this time. (Unless you want to call Steam trading cards, and cloud saves, new features.)


While it's great that Disney has finally addressed both games' issues, I can't help but wonder why it's taken almost three years (since they debuted on Steam) to fix the problems. Disney has known about them, since day one. Both games have received many a negative review, or refund request, in the meantime.

So while these updates are, perhaps, not what people were really hoping for: if they raise awareness of both games, and make people want to play them again, then that is most certainly a good thing. :)


December 23rd, 2017 UPDATE: I've added an embedded video to this article, showing that it's possible to get the original Retail disc version of TRON 2.0 to run on Windows 10, using the fan-made Unofficial Patch from 2003. This, again, demonstrates that the "Windows 10 update" for the Steam version of TRON 2.0 is not what it's been made out to be. TRON 2.0 has always been able to run on Windows 10.