"Universal Windows Platform can, should, must, and will, die as a result of industry backlash."

Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has described Microsoft's new Universal Windows Platform initiative as the "first step towards locking down the consumer PC ecosystem" and believes the platform holder is trying to "monopolise game development on PC."

With its new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) initiative, Microsoft has built a closed platform-within-a-platform into Windows 10," Sweeney said."Microsoft is moving against the entire PC industry--including consumers (and gamers in particular), software developers such as Epic Games, publishers like EA and Activision, and distributors like Valve and Good Old Games."

"They're curtailing users' freedom to install full-featured PC software, and subverting the rights of developers and publishers to maintain a direct relationship with their customers."

According to Sweeney, the Universal Windows Platform is locked down and "by default it's impossible to download UWP apps from websites of publishers and developers, to install them, update them, and conduct commerce in them outside of the Windows Store." "Gamers, developers, publishers simply cannot trust the PC UWP 'platform' so long as Microsoft gives evasive, ambiguous and sneaky answers to questions about UWP's future, as if it's a PR issue. This isn't a PR issue, it's an existential issue for Microsoft, a first-class determinant of Microsoft's future role in the world."

He continued: "Microsoft structuring its operating system to advantage its own store while unfairly disadvantaging competing app stores, as well as developers and publishers who distribute games directly to their customers."

Microsoft has responded to Tim Sweeney's criticism of the Universal Windows Platform:

"The Universal Windows Platform is a fully open ecosystem, available to every developer, that can be supported by any store. We continue to make improvements for developers; for example, in the Windows 10 November Update, we enabled people to easily side-load apps by default, with no UX required," it explained.

"We want to make Windows the best development platform regardless of technologies used, and offer tools to help developers with existing code bases of HTML/JavaScript, .NET and Win32, C+ + and Objective-C bring their code to Windows, and integrate UWP capabilities. With Xamarin, UWP developers can not only reach all Windows 10 devices, but they can now use a large percentage of their C# code to deliver a fully native mobile app experiences for iOS and Android. We’ll have more to share at Build."

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-accused-of-monopolising-pc-development-b/1100-6435350/?ftag=GSS-05-10aaa0b

Imo No.

So is it a closed or open ecosystem? I'm confused. I'd like to know if other developerspublishers share Sweeney's concerns.

If possible, MS will try. Won't be possible any time soon though, I think. That said, there are some problems, such as this... This is one of the reasons I dislike Windows 10: MS has full control over it, and if they want to make changes, and I mean any changes, they can, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Everyone who don't like Windows stop complaining and go to Linux! Microsoft has the rights to do what they want with their OS! And if you don't like it, than get another OS and shut up!

Not if they breach anti-competition rules. They got fined for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows. This is a lot worse in terms of being anti-competitive, although in their defence, both Apple and Google do similar things on mobile devices. 

I'm not sure I understand fully. Here is my take.

What is stopping 3rd party developers from putting the game on Windows 10 store and Steam? I thought UWP could be used for also making games and releasing them on IOS, Android and Steam? It just makes it easier for A developer to make it available for MS platforms. I didn't think it stopped a dev releasing on rival platforms.

The only thing I see MS leveraging is its exclusives. Which surely they are entitled to do? No?

Microsoft can do what they want! If you don't like it, than get another OS! No one should have the rights to say Microsoft how they must make their OS!

They'll try. They've seen how Apple and Google have raked in the cash with their mobile stores and are trying to introduce a similar system on Windows. Unfortunately for them they've had an open system for 30+ years so I don't think developers are going to play ball.

Valve have already pre-empted this with Steam OS and Steam machines.

Except, you know, governments that set laws and regulations to protect consumers. Microsoft don't have completely free reign whilst we have laws in place.