14 DAY TRIAL // The Windows 10 Store will get another feature in the upcoming Anniversary Update that’s expected to give developers a new opportunity to monetize their content in a more effective way.
Microsoft is working to bring so-called “app add-ons and downloadable content” in the Windows Store with the Anniversary Update, but for the moment, only limited information is available regarding the way they are supposed to be implemented.
As MSPU notes, there’s already a reference in MSDN documentation that confirms the arrival of app add-ons in the Windows Store with the Redstone update.
“Enable your Windows Store app to host content provided by other Windows Store apps. Discover, enumerate, and access read-only content from those apps,” Microsoft explains.
DLCs, extra levels, and other content available with a fee
Although Redmond has remained tight-lipped on what exactly the concept of app add-ons is supposed to bring new to the table, they’ll most likely allow developers to offer additional content for their apps and games that can be purchased from the store. This makes it easy for users to purchase DLC, for instance, for the games they already own, but also for developers to monetize this content.
Some DLCs have already appeared in the store in the last few weeks, so Microsoft might already be paving the way for the arrival of the feature. According to the aforementioned source, it already exists in the internal preview builds of the Anniversary Update and should be offered to users for testing purposes in one of the upcoming releases.
The Anniversary Update is scheduled to go live in the summer, and more specifically in July, so it’ll be a challenge for Microsoft to bring a bigger number of DLCs in the store for this feature to make sense.
Once again, the company needs to work together with developers on this, but given the fact that Windows 10 has already helped make good progress in this relationship, the company is very likely to succeed with its plan to overhaul the store.