Epic’s Tim Sweeney questions Microsoft’s commitment to an open Windows platform

Tim Sweeney is of the best-known technical experts in the game industry and the CEO of Gears of War creator Epic Games, and he stirred up a big debate about the future of Windows. In an op-ed piece in the Guardian and in an interview with GamesBeat today, Sweeney said that he worries that Microsoft is making it hard for developers to create games and programs that do not use its Windows app store — and that move could close off what to date has been an open platform.

The future of the Windows PC is at stake here. Sweeney said that the personal computer industry is expected to be open. “Many businesses and the U.S. economy depend on it,” he said. Indeed, the Windows PC has been a platform for economic success, open applications, and third-party developer freedom for a long time. To close it off could be controversial, and that’s why Sweeney said he is speaking up.