Perhaps I’m a bit late to the game on asking Microsoft such a question but I figure I’ll take a swing anyway.
What is the business rationale for making “Age of Empires: Definitive Edition” a Windows Store exclusive? Age of Empires 2: HD Edition seems to be doing fine on Steam along with the other old titles from Ensemble Studios. From what I’m assessing, this is virtually repeating what Games For Windows Live did before it was shut down.
Consider the DotA->LoL->DotA2 story and Heroes of the Storm meme and you’ll see.
Windows 10 S is coming out, and it’s only compatible with Windows Store Apps.
That move only makes sense if the Windows Store has a lot of content. Windows RT did the same thing, but failed because the Windows Store didn’t have enough apps. Windows Phones also failed because the Windows Store didn’t have enough apps.
Sucking hundreds of thousands of AoE players into using the Windows Store grows the ecosystem.
I wouldn’t be surprised if AOE IV was also Windows Store only.
(Not to mention that Microsoft makes significantly more profit per game on the Windows Store than they do on Steam)
They’re obviously trying to push and sync their existing platforms. MS can’t spend resources forever to keep W7 up to date, and it’s quite old by this point. It makes more sense for them to homogenize their userbase to Win10 in order to save time, money, manpower, and in order to grow their other services - like the Windows Store, Xbox, etc.
AoE is unique because a lot of people will buy it regardless (in spite of all the tantrums you see on the internet, I’m confident it’ll sell decently…at least well enough to make a profit considering the game was, yknow, done from the start). It has a community and therefore it won’t be lost in the grey nameless mess that currently exists in the Windows Store. It’s not a flagship product per-se, but you can bet it’s the only reason I would ever use the Store.
@sonictimm said:
Windows 10 S is coming out, and it’s only compatible with Windows Store Apps.
Windows 10 S is mainly meant for environments were you want to restrict people from using it for the wrong means, like schools etc… I know it will be avaible pre-installed on some computers but it is not designed to be a platform that would be widely used like Windows 10 and of course it will not be because of its restrictions.
So i believe Windows 10 S has not thing to do with Windows store exclusives. Exclusives are mainly a try to promote the windows store and windows 10
Is more expense for them having a store without exclusive content than the sales/profit of gamers in steam.
No one is going to upgrade to Windows 10 just to play AoE:DE. The only players that will buy it are the ones currently using Windows 10 and those that buy a new system but find they can only buy a system with Windows 10 OS.
@eQuiinox67 said:
No one is going to upgrade to Windows 10 just to play AoE:DE. The only players that will buy it are the ones currently using Windows 10 and those that buy a new system but find they can only buy a system with Windows 10 OS.
No, but with the time you need update your pc. And 7 will be outdated and old. Without support.
@Augustusman said:
@eQuiinox67 said:
No one is going to upgrade to Windows 10 just to play AoE:DE. The only players that will buy it are the ones currently using Windows 10 and those that buy a new system but find they can only buy a system with Windows 10 OS.No, but with the time you need update your pc. And 7 will be outdated and old. Without support.
Im on Windows 8.1 not 7 so i personally won’t be upgrading for probably many years to come and i imagine Windows 7 users will probably move onto Windows 8 /8.1 eventually as opposed to Windows 10. It is THAT bad!
You have right that don’t have sense 8.1 is very similar, but you have Xbox app in 8.1
Probably they try to do a kind steam with that app.
Windows 8.1 was a pretty decent platform, but Windows 10 meshes all the great things about Windows 7 and 8.1 together, giving pretty good harmony of both UI elements.
Not really sure why Windows 7 users would upgrade to Windows 8.1 when the use of the Start Screen is so jarringly different from what they’re used to, and Windows 10 caters to them a lot more in the aspect of UI navigation.
The UWP apps I’ve used so far have been really reliable, and wicked faster than their native x86 counterparts. The lack of customization (closed atmosphere and all that) of UWPs is a big turn-off, I know, but the performance is a decent compromise depending on perception.
Plus it’s only a matter of time before people start figuring out how to customize UWPs. I think someone already did some exports of Killer Instinct’s character models or something to that nature, so that time may be sooner than later.
You’re right in that no one will upgrade to Windows 10 simply for Age of Empires, but at the same time, I think that leaves something to be desired for whenever someone actually has the chance to upgrade, should they decide to embrace the change.
And unlike Games for Windows Live, UWPs and the Windows 10 store are for Windows 10 as a whole, not just games. It’s not going to go anywhere for a really long time, and the more people that can accept that and embrace it, the better support it will get moving forward.