14 DAY TRIAL // Tim Sweeney, the leader of Epic Games, says that the closed Universal Windows Platform that Microsoft has been promoting should be treated as a closed system and that the biggest players in the industry should oppose it with all their resources.
In an article in The Guardian, the executive claims that the freedom of the user to install PC software and have full control over its activity is restricted and that the direction relationship between customers and developers is also affected.
Sweeney states, "The specific problem here is that Microsoft’s shiny new ‘Universal Windows Platform’ is locked down. By default, it’s impossible to download UWP apps from the websites of publishers and developers, to install them, update them, and conduct commerce in them outside of the Windows Store."
Epic Games believes that an open platform for Windows 10 is required and that Microsoft should abandon its position as a middleman who picks up a 30 percent cut from any transaction.
It's unclear whether the company will seek to create a united front with other industry players to try and influence the way UWP is used in the future or if they will simply rely on public pressure to influence the way the operating system evolves.
Microsoft is moving to broaden the Windows 10 ecosystem
Kevin Gallo, a corporate vice president at the company, issued a response to The Guardian in which he states that the Universal Windows Platform is available to any developer and that it is fully open, allowing any company to work on it.
Microsoft has already said that it will continue to integrate the Xbox One home console and Windows 10 PCs, aiming to create the biggest gaming ecosystem in the world.
This means that the official store will continue to grow in importance as the company makes sure that big titles, including Forza, Gears of War and Quantum Break, arrive on both platforms and maybe even introduce cross-platform play.
Epic Games is currently working on some projects that use its Unreal Engine 4 technology.
Paragon is set to go into early access on March 18, with gamers able to pay 20 dollars or Euro to get access to the game and to the new heroes that will arrive every three weeks.
Fortnite is also set to arrive this year and will deliver a new take on survival mechanics, with a lot of focus on player cooperation and customization.