150°

Notch: Windows 8 is "very, very bad for indie developers"

Markus "Notch" Persson, the creator of Minecraft and founder of Mojang, has echoed Valve and Blizzard on the negative repercussions of Windows 8 for developers.

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gamesindustry.biz
gamer78044300d ago

Cmon guys, wait until MS releases info on that, its got windows 7 underneath. Worse case you have to pay to make yours a metro app like you have to do on apple's appstore, anything else could still run under the os.

Fishy Fingers4300d ago (Edited 4300d ago )

I'm sure there's more to it than just that, these guys will have preview builds (likely almost complete) of W8 and will be working to support it at launch (regardless what they say) so their opinions are based on experience, not guess work.

But it's often the case, especially with Gabe, they dismiss everything at first, but usually come round to it.

I quite like the look of W8, but I can't see me upgrading my W7 gaming PC anytime soon.

nukeitall4300d ago

There have been a number of people voicing concern, but I'm frankly confused about what?

Nobody really says clearly what is so bad, just "it's bad"!

@Fishy Fingers:

Windows 8 is a lot faster in all the tasks I do, so why not use it for gaming as well?

It seems way more optimized for lower end hardware than Windows 7.

Smkt4300d ago

don't know why notch and blizzard guy are upset with win8, but Gabe is probably worried about the Windows App store as that might become a direct competitor to Steam if Win8 gets popular.

nukeitall4300d ago

That was my initial thought that the app store is a competitor to Valve, but now Blizzard and even Mojang says otherwise. Yet nobody clearly says why?

It sounds like they fear their lack of freedom, but to me nothing in Windows 8 stops them from running whatever software they are doing now and likely whatever they are planning.

So I would also like a clear answer to the fear!

Letros4300d ago

Flamebait title, not even the original title. Reading the article, Notch throws a big "if" out there.

humbleopinion4300d ago (Edited 4300d ago )

Precisely. According to him Windows 8 will only be bad to developers *IF* it will be locked (like the console business). But why would Microsoft do this when openness is what gave them the huge market share they have today?

Valve and Blizzard have other concerns: If Microsoft seriously handles the game-marketplace business (and not like they handled it until now with GFW and similar crap), it might be a serious hit for other store fronts - and both Blizzard and Valve compete in that area. But as for the gamers themselves? more competition is always better.

MWH4300d ago

what's going on here?! many devs are complaining.

Moncole4300d ago

One 3 devs complained.
Gabe Newel
Notch
a guy from Blizzard

JBSleek4300d ago

How could that possibly be true because of the Windows Store? Wouldn't that make the indie scene actually thrive and not falter due to it being easily accessible to all or is the real reason because you have to take a cut of your profits and give them to Microsoft?

That isn't particularly bad for indie developers but possibly bad for big names who don't want to either share the spotlight with other games on the store or pay the money.

Smkt4300d ago

exactly... Valve knows that many indie devs would pick Windows store over Steam because of the potentially greater install base and the fact that both Valve and MS charge will charge the same.

Apart from that I don't think MS is actually preventing developers from developing for Win8.. just that now they have their own OPTIONAL distribution channel which the Devs can pay for if they want to use OR they can just use their own method i.e their own site or physical media.

Somebody4300d ago

The indie devs who were swooned by XBLA got a harsh reality check when there's barely any promotion about their products and the long certification process.

Windows 8 will have XBLA handle the gaming portion-the very thing that made most XBLA indie devs branch out to Steam.

Smkt4300d ago

true.. which will lead to devs avoiding the win8store if its crap and using better alternatives.

That is unless MS doesn't lock the OS with the Win8Store being the only place where users can get software from, in which case win8 will turn out to be vista 2.0
The best thing about windows is the wide range of applications available for almost anything you may want to do. MS will be retarded if they take that away.

also I'm not liking the new Metro UI, good thing the classic desktop is still there, hopefully there will an option to disable the new UI or at least someone will mod it

Somebody4300d ago

@Smkt
Yeah. We'll still have to see when Windows 8 comes out to get/give the final judgement. I'm just not uncomfortable with MS ever since it shifted focus towards the X Box and cared almost nothing for the PC. The only times MS praised the PC is when it needed them to sell Windows Vista, 7 and now 8. Other than that it's all about X Box. Even the 360 gets the latest MS-designed hardware such as the Kinect and Smart Glass. The PC...has yet to see any of those apart from a few researchers playing around with them. Surface is a tablet - a stand alone product that is actually in competition with the traditional PC concept.

By making the Metro (optimized for mobile devices) as the default UI for Win 8 while the classic Windows UI as an option that you have to look for...I guess I'll still be uncomfortable with MS.

BuffMordecai4300d ago

You're tearing me apart Windows 8!

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120°

Activision Blizzard Faces $23.4M Fine for Patent Infringement

Activision Blizzard ordered to pay $23.4M for patent infringement involving popular games.

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infinitestart.com
Skuletor11h ago

Another L for Xbox, when are they going to have good news?

MrDead10h ago

I would read the article but the giant pop-ups from the top and bottom of the screen made me close it.

Without reading $23.4 million isn't a deterrent for a company that size.

peppeaccardo10h ago

Boss: Let's fire a few people to recoup on that loss.
Slave: Cortana has decided to get rid of Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks.
Boss: Let's get those Firing Letters "Copilot Approved" and send them through the power of the cloud.
Slave: Long Live Phil !!!
ALL in the room: LONG LIVE PHIL !!!!

rlow13h ago

Well another troll company with a patent trying to extort money out of companies. Seems like they’re going to try and sue everyone.

PRIMORDUS41m ago

Not enough drain them for more, fuck Blizzard POS company.

90°

An Update on This Year’s BlizzCon and Blizzard’s 2024 Live Events

Blizzard writes: "After careful consideration over the last year, we at Blizzard have made the decision not to hold BlizzCon in 2024. This decision was not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you look forward to it. While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years."

Read Full Story >>
blizzcon.com
PRIMORDUS14d ago

How about you not hold Blizzcon anymore period. You fucking POS company. I really hope Blizzard would just die.

260°

Microsoft has ‘let Blizzard be Blizzard’ following its acquisition, studio says

Microsoft has 'let Blizzard be Blizzard' following the acquisition of the veteran developer according to World of Warcraft's executive producer.

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videogameschronicle.com
Kaii23d ago

Diablo 4 storefront being a cash grabbing shitshow does unironically attest to that, kudos.

kythlyn21d ago

Microsoft needs to be guiding Blizzard to be what it USED to be, not allowing it to continue to be the greedy bastardization of itself that it has become.

XiNatsuDragnel23d ago (Edited 23d ago )

Okay i will be interested if they become old Blizzard but might as well be dead.

Rynxie22d ago

They will never be old blizzard. Most of all the OG's left from developers to those on the top (even some decision making folks left).

Vits23d ago

Shame most of the people that made Blizzard what they were, have already left a while ago.

ApocalypseShadow23d ago

I was about to say this. How can they be blizzard when they're no longer blizzard from yesteryear?

blacktiger22d ago

Rare was the thing I lost heart

victorMaje22d ago

Exactly. Blizzard hasn’t been Blizzard for a long time.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Knightofelemia22d ago

Blizzard is not the same Blizzard like it use to be.

PassNextquestion22d ago

Were you expecting Microsoft to hire everyone that had left Blizzard long before they purchased the company...

Microsoft has let the Blizzard company they purchased continue to be the Blizzard company they purchased.

thesoftware73022d ago

Wow, PassNextquestion,

You fully understand what that saying means, unlike some people on here who just have to say negative garbage talk.

When someone says, "Just let *blank* be *blank*, "they are just letting them operate how they operate.

It's pretty much how Sony "let Bungie be Bungie."

This comment section is full of outright haters, but you have to "let N4G be N4G"

GamerRN22d ago

This site leans so heavily in one direction...

BISHOP-BRASIL21d ago

I don't think people commenting are necessarily blaming MS for anything here, this is just collective longing for what Blizzard/Vivendi was before Activision's meddling.

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