Microsoft’s sudden move from Windows 11 is way more open to the Windows StoreThis means that Steam could be part of the Store in the future.
In light of this new open approach, several changes were envisaged in the Windows Store, including Microsoft’s connection to Amazon’s Appstore to list Android apps and allowing developers to keep 100% of their revenue using third-party payment platforms.
Microsoft also wants other alternative app stores, such as Steam and the Epic Games Store, to be part of this new Windows App Store.
“Windows already hosts these stores in many ways, and if we can host them through the Microsoft Store, so be it,” Panos Panay, President of Windows and Hardware, said in an interview. “Of course, this means that other people want to come to the store, they are very welcome. In fact, it is encouraged, which is why we are developing some of these policies.”
Steam has become a major store for games and apps on Windows over the years, and Panay envisions a future for the Windows App Store, where people find the apps they want regardless of competing stores. “I really want that experience where you go to the store, type in the app and get the app you want,” Banay says.
While Microsoft embraces the idea of the open store, there are some caveats. Microsoft will allow developers to keep 100% of app revenue if they use alternative payment platforms, but this does not apply to games. It’s a huge omission, which comes just weeks after Microsoft announced that it will cut gaming revenue from the Microsoft Store from 30% to 12% starting August 1.
It’s also unclear how this policy can be applied to app stores separately. It appears that Microsoft only lists Android apps from Amazon’s Appstore in its own store, so it’s effectively connected to another store. If Steam is integrated with the Windows App Store, it will likely be through a similar linking scenario, which prevents apps and games from being hosted directly on the Microsoft App Store.
Source: the edge
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