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Epic Games CEO says Microsoft 'subverting the rights of developers'

By Daniel Kobialka Mar 14, 2016 3:35pm

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is "moving against the entire PC industry," according to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney. And as such, Sweeney said Microsoft is undermining the rights of app developers and publishers to maintain direct relationships with customers. 

Sweeney expressed his concerns about Microsoft's "monopolizing" approach to apps and gaming in Windows 10 in an op-ed piece for The Guardian, noting Microsoft "is looking to dominate the games industry ecosystem" with its Universal Windows Platform (UWP) initiative. 

UWP provides a common app platform available on every device that runs Windows 10, according to Microsoft. It delivers a guaranteed core application programming interface (API) layer across devices, Microsoft said, enabling developers to create a single app package that can be installed onto a range of devices.

Sweeney is encouraging developers to oppose the technology giant. 

"Microsoft has launched new PC Windows features exclusively in UWP, and is effectively telling developers you can use these Windows features only if you submit to the control of our locked-down UWP ecosystem," Sweeney wrote. "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."

Many developers echoed Sweeney's sentiments regarding UWP. 

Sweeney boasts a proven reputation in the app development space, and his words may have significant pull on developers' views of Windows 10 development going forward.

Conversely, questions were raised about Epic Games, a company that sells some of its titles exclusively through the Apple Store.

And when Sweeney later admitted there was "no proof of an evil plan" by Microsoft, some developers said they believed he may not be up to date on UWP.