Epic Games co-founder thinks Microsoft wants to ‘monopolise’ PC gaming

By Darren Allan

Microsoft is trying to “monopolise” PC gaming development with its new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) scheme, so says Epic Games co-founder Tim Sweeney.

Sweeney — who believes UWP is an affront to gamers, developers, game publishers and distributors alike — passionately argued against it in a piece for the Guardian.

Windows 10 saw the introduction of Microsoft’s initiative, which proposes a common platform to allow software and games to work on any device running the new OS – from phones through tablets to the Xbox, laptops and computers.

As such, it’s designed to be a good thing for developers who can more easily tout their wares across a broader range of devices and therefore a larger audience.

However, Sweeney’s beef stems from the fact that UWP apps need to go through the Windows Store – you can’t just download them from, say, a publisher’s website, or run any updates for them, or conduct any sales of them outside of Microsoft’s official store.

Aggressive move

Because of this locked-down nature, Redmond is interfering with the rights of game developers and publishers to have a direct relationship with their customers, he argues.

Sweeney said: “Microsoft has launched new PC Windows features exclusively in UWP, and is effectively …read more

Source:: techradar.com – Gaming