Microsoft Drops UWP Platform for Gears 5 Release

In hell freezing over news, Microsoft studio The Coalition has confirmed that Gears 5 drops UWP in favor of Win32. And the world rejoiced.

Microsoft continues to revitalize its PC gaming efforts, committing to first-party experiences built around the mouse and keyboard, alongside ancillary services led by Xbox Game Pass. The accompanying Microsoft Store has evolved with this transition, welcoming a wave of PC games tapping into the Win32 API, as developers failed to embrace Windows 10's Universal Windows Platform (UWP). And with Gears 5 soon headed to Xbox One and PC, it appears Microsoft is among the latest distancing itself from UWP experiences.

Gears 5 shows potential for a strong PC debut, expanding to Steam alongside a wealth of PC-tailored tuning. The title also surprisingly boasts support for Windows 7, and now appears to be entirely ditching UWP app platform. With functionality regularly falling short amid the platform's infancy, it seems Microsoft is the latest to fall back on the legacy API for its next blockbuster.

https://www.windowscentral.com/gears-5-severs-ties-uwp-windows-10-pc-release

A lot of the positives that the UWP provide have been rolled into the existing API’s you can easily do a W32 implementation and get all the benefits with none of the negatives the UWP.

Lakados said:

A lot of the positives that the UWP provide have been rolled into the existing API’s you can easily do a W32 implementation and get all the benefits with none of the negatives the UWP.

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The fundamental problem is Microsoft has never eaten it's own dogfood with UWP. They never built any showcase firstparty apps to show everyone what it's capable of. And that silence then became the commentary on it not being capable of much - or at least not more than Win32 - since MS themselves weren't leaning into it.

As far as changes and being able to make some hybrid Win32 implementation with UWP features, forget it, anything UWP is tainted.

Third party Windows development doesn't really exist outside of videogames anymore. Everything has moved to web and mobile.

My uninformed opinion is that Microsoft got ahead of itself. UWP might be a great idea, but it's not feature-finished. It's a rushed response to both the Apple and Android stores but isn't able to support everything that the big titles need. It doesn't provide a better/faster development environment for the studio, and its restrictions remove things that gameplayers want. And being tied to the Microsoft store blows.

And then Microsoft killed the Windows phone, which seems to bork the need for universal deployment.

P.S. And for a time UWP apps required Cortana. 'Nuff said.

"Cortana, I want you to go eat a dick, and then erase yourself."

odditory said:

The fundamental problem is Microsoft has never eaten it's own dogfood with UWP. They never built any showcase firstparty apps to show everyone what it's capable of. And that silence then became the commentary on it not being capable of much - or at least not more than Win32 - since MS themselves weren't leaning into it.

As far as changes and being able to make some hybrid Win32 implementation with UWP features, forget it, anything UWP is tainted.

Third party Windows development doesn't really exist outside of videogames anymore. Everything has moved to web and mobile.

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I meant benefits like the security and stability benefits have been rolled into newer versions of the .Net libraries, the ability to syncronize between xbox, windows store, and other services is now mostly handled on the publisher/developer side using a registered account, games saves same thing so really UWP was made redundant by other services catching up and offering all the good parts with none of the actual UWP.

Lakados said:

I meant benefits like the security and stability benefits have been rolled into newer versions of the .Net libraries, the ability to syncronize between xbox, windows store, and other services is now mostly handled on the publisher/developer side using a registered account, games saves same thing so really UWP was made redundant by other services catching up and offering all the good parts with none of the actual UWP.

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Makes total sense and I agree with all of that.

Regardless, I am just happy that Microsoft is on the right track with PC gaming -- for maybe the first time since 2001 when they introduced Xbox and began to deemphasize PC gaming. I don't know who is responsible over at MS for this shift - Xbox Game Pass, embracing multi-stores for new PC firstparty titles and even Steam and Windows 7, but hat's off.

Maybe in Windows 11, Microsoft will wow us again and make the "Store" a true Win32 repository like it should have been for the last decade before appstore envy bred the metro cancer that cost them almost a decade.

odditory said:

Makes total sense and I agree with all of that.

Regardless, I am just happy that Microsoft is on the right track with PC gaming -- for maybe the first time since 2001 when they introduced Xbox and began to deemphasize PC gaming. I don't know who is responsible over at MS for this shift - Xbox Game Pass, embracing multi-stores for new PC firstparty titles and even Steam and Windows, but hat's off.

Maybe in Windows 11, Microsoft will wow us again and make the "Store" a true Win32 repository like it should have been for the last decade before appstore envy caused a series of missteps.

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Honestly I doubt we are going to see Windows 11 any time soon, just Windows 10 1983.69 which will have a gaming mode which as a joke will launch will launch on Nov 20'th with a gui that makes it look like windows 1.0 and just as its revision number states it will be a total circle jerk. But will work marginally better than 1903 or what ever build we are on now, (I keep them updated but I stopped caring as they all basically work the same).

seanreisk said:

P.S. And for a time UWP apps required Cortana. 'Nuff said.

"Cortana, I want you to go eat a dick, and then erase yourself."

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"I'm Sorry Dave, I can't do that"

(Airlock opens)

odditory said:

I don't know who is responsible over at MS for this shift - Xbox Game Pass, embracing multi-stores for new PC firstparty titles and even Steam and Windows, but hat's off.

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1) Terrible marketing and subsequent sales of the Xbox One. They shot themselves in the foot here.
2) Lack of good exclusives killed the Xbox One even if you ignore the above.
3) Microsoft is moving to be a more service based company, and this aligns with it.
4) Their first party studios were going under due to selling on only one platform. See Remedy splitting from Microsoft.

There is no love for PC gamers, but it made perfect sense going forward. Plus for Microsoft, Ubisoft, Sony and Nintendo - Steaming is the future. They've made this clear. Microsoft needs to make killer apps to launch their streaming services though. This is their first step in doing that.