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Microsoft responds to Tim Sweeney’s new UWP claims

Earlier today, Epic Games head Tim Sweeney made headlines once again by continuing to bash Microsoft's new Universal Windows Platform initiative. This time, Sweeney claimed Microsoft might make Steam worse over time to try and push studios to use UWP more. Now, Microsoft has issued a comment of its own, stating that UWP is an “open ecosystem”.

In a statement given to PCGamesN, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “As stated previously, the Universal Windows Platform is an open ecosystem that is available to every developer, and can be supported by any store”, shooting down claims that UWP could be used to push people away from Steam.

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However, Microsoft still recognises that UWP isn't perfect yet and will continue to improve based on feedback: “With the UWP in its infancy, we recognise areas of improvement and aim to make Windows the best development platform regardless of technologies used.”

Tim Sweeney has been very outspoken on Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform since its launch earlier this year. UWP games have been exclusive to Windows 10 so far. However, the platform does support other stores and Microsoft has previously said that it will ship games on Steam again eventually. With that in mind, it seems unlikely that the company is going to start engineering Windows 10 make Steam run worse.

KitGuru Says: Microsoft hasn't done everything perfectly with Windows 10 but the idea that the company is trying to sabotage Steam on Windows seems pretty farfetched in my opinion. What do you guys think? Do you think Microsoft would try to use UWP to sabotage Steam's place on Windows? 

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24 comments

  1. I have no doubt microsoft “wants” to kill off steam. They are a competitor after all. But will they have the guts to actually do it? Nah.

    But I am glad people like Sweeney are helping to keep M$ honest.

  2. Sweeney is mental. MS is a direct competitor, if they “kill” Steam it will be because gamers think they are better than Steam, not because MS is breaking their stuff… LOL.

  3. Ray Jimmy Newton

    Microsoft still pushes marketing strategies from 2000 in 2016. It feels like people at Microsoft just want to bring big numbers to prove that it’s working. I didn’t actually see a thing done by Microsoft without their typical shady background motives.

  4. Darth Sitthiander

    Sweeny is mental which is why he’s driven the development of one of the greatest game engines of all time.

  5. Darth Sitthiander

    Loving this. It’s the same as Microsoft (were they fruit vendors) countering accusations telling they were spraying rat poison on the main competitors apples by saying that they are open to selling their apples to minorities as well, or some shit like that. How is what they’re saying in the same context as what Sweemy is accusing them of…

  6. Steam is not a competitor. In fact if Microsoft Kills of Steam, which is essentially the foundation of PC Market, there would be no reason to use Windows anymore.

  7. He didn’t develop the engine by himself, get real. If Microsoft was mental then Windows would not be the most popular OS by a long long shot.

  8. Darth Sitthiander

    I did neither state he developed the engine by himself nor that Microsoft was mental.

  9. Says about as much as John McAfee creating one of the most used anti virus programs. You confuse delusional with non-productive.

  10. Most don’t use PCs for gaming. Of those that do many don’t use Steam, not exclusively at least.

    Steam is a competetitor, one of several.

  11. Darth Sitthiander

    And I also did not say most used engine, but thanks for enlightenimg us anyways.

  12. So, steam performs worse in Windows 10 because of UWP? Why is win 10 the most popular platform among Steam using gamers then?

    You’re just making things up as you go along.

  13. We can’t tell what you’re trying to say because it doesn’t make sense

  14. Darth Sitthiander

    You might look at it this way: if Sweeny has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about, he sure is one hell of a lucky bastard to be CEO of Epic Games. Might be the case but I suppose it’s not. Just have a look at his wikipedia page.

  15. Darth Sitthiander

    No I was trying to simplify that UWP ‘being’ an open ecosystem doesn’t mean that Microsoft might not be sabotaging the performance of Steam under Windows in some ways. It’s running on their OS after all.

  16. That’s a fair clarification. But they aren’t. Google runs on their platform too, have they sabotaged that?

  17. Darth Sitthiander

    How do you know? And sabotaged what, Google services running in Internet Explorer/Edge? Or does Google have a game distribution platform for Windows as well. If they have I was unaware. But it doesn’t exclude them sabotaging another company’s product just because they haven’t touched Google’s. I’m not saying they did with Steam by the way, that is Sweeney’s statement.

  18. CEO doesn’t have anything to do with knowing what you are going 80% of the time and half the crap you talk about makes little to no sense nor does it actually bring a point. I think you should go lie down for a while.

  19. Darth Sitthiander

    Have you even bothered to look at the article I mentioned or are you just having fun insulting people?

  20. Why would they plan to sell their games on a platform they want to kill off. Seems like a stupid plan, one they are not stupid enough to make.

  21. I’m basically calling that the UWP requiring people to only buy games through them and all of that the same as real as FEMA death camps

  22. so let me guess.. Steam > Microsoft games downloaded as a UWP > 3rd Party Required (windows store)

    We get this shit enough with Uplay games on steam… NO THANKS.. I do not want to bu ya game on steam that requires the use of another platform just to run

  23. have u tryed chrome… its like installing Aids on your pc….

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