Epic Games’ co-founder continues to rail against Windows 10’s moves toward a “closed platform”

Arif Bacchus

Gears of War has long been a very successful title for both Microsoft and Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney. Despite the success, however, the founder of Epic Games famously went on a tear of Microsoft where he detailed how he believed Win32 apps are better for consumers than Microsoft’s UWP. To perhaps add insult to injury, more recently Tim Sweeny went on another rant, and labeled Microsoft as a  monopolistic threat to gaming.  Now a few months removed from these rants, Sweeny is at it again by railing against Windows 10’s moves towards a closed platform (via gamespresso)

In an interview seen in Edge in Edge, Sweeney comments how Microsoft made “sneaky PR moves” with Windows 10 after having Surface RT devices which only would run apps from the Windows Store. As noted by gamespresso, Sweeney says:

“The trouble started when Microsoft began shipping some PCs and regular Surfaces that were so locked down that you couldn’t run Win32 apps; you could only run apps that had been bought from their store. That is a complete travesty. With Windows 10 they removed some more capabilities. They’ve been able to do this via some sneaky PR moves. They make a bunch of statements that sound vaguely like they’re promoting openness, but really they’re not promising anything of the sort.”

Surface RT
A Surface RT with Windows RT

Tim Sweeney also spoke out about the UWP as a phasing-out of Win32 apps, and how he sees it as a forcing of the distribution of games and apps through a closed-platform Windows Store. He tells Edge in Edge:

“The risk here is that, if Microsoft convinces everybody to use UWP (Universal Windows Platform), then they phase out Win32 apps. If they can succeed in doing that then it’s a small leap to forcing all apps and games to be distributed through the Windows Store. Once we reach that point, the PC has become a closed platform. It won’t be that one day they flip a switch that will break your Steam library – what they’re trying to do is a series of sneaky manoeuvres. They make it more and more inconvenient to use the old apps, and, simultaneously, they try to become the only source for the new ones.”

IMG_1079
Windows Store Apps

Of course, it does not end there, and Sweeney mentions how the UWP will “flip a switch which will break your Stream library” and how Microsoft will “force-patch Windows 10 to make Steam progressively worse and more broken.” He says to Edge in Edge:

“They’ll never completely break it, but will continue to break it until, in five years, people are so fed up that Steam is buggy that the Windows Store seems like an ideal alternative. That’s exactly what they did to their previous competitors in other areas. Now they’re doing it to Steam. It’s only just starting to become visible. Microsoft might not be competent enough to succeed with their plan, but they’re certainly trying.”

UWP on various platforms
UWP on various platforms

Regardless of his comments, and with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update just a week away, Microsoft is obviously still pushing its plans for the Universal Windows Platform. In fact, (and perhaps to Sweeney’s dismay,) Universal Windows Platform apps are even coming to the Xbox One, with MSN Weaher just being one prime example.

Again, this is just another set of controversial anti-Microsoft comments from Sweeney. So. regardless of which side of this situation you stand on, we would love to hear your thoughts, and so be sure to drop us a comment below!