Notch Won't Certify Minecraft for Windows 8
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson refused to "certify" the popular PC game for Windows 8.
While Microsoft is corralling college students to help fill its new Windows Store app marketplace, numerous developers are sticking to their guns and refusing change. Microsoft sees Windows 8 as the launch of a new era, but many developers, consumers and critics like things just the way they are.
Even more, there's an industry-wide fear that Microsoft may lean more towards a closed platform thanks to the desktop marketplace, that it will be managed like Xbox Live. Valve Software, id Software and Blizzard have openly revealed their distaste for the blocky OS and its built-in storefront, and now Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has dished out his own two cents, speaking directly to the Redmond company.
"Got an email from Microsoft, wanting to help 'certify' Minecraft for Win 8," Persson tweeted. "I told them to stop trying to ruin the PC as an open platform." Ouch. He goes on to admit on Twitter that he'd "rather have Minecraft not run on Win 8 at all than to play along."
"Maybe we can convince a few people not to switch to win 8 that way.. " he added.
As pointed out by Shacknews, this doesn't mean Minecraft won't be available for Windows 8. It only means that Notch won't have anything to do with it heading over to the new OS. Remember that Dundee, Scotland-based 4J Studios handled the Xbox Live Arcade version that was released on the console's closed network back in May.
Valve Software's Gabe Newell has been one of the more vocal game developers in the industry in regards to Windows 8. He recently called it a "catastrophe for everybody in the PC space," that it will offer features like the built-in store and Xbox Live integration. This storefront is viewed as a threat to Valve given that it offers Windows-based games on Steam.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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samspartan This is a lot of fuss over nothing. I don't see the big deal here...Reply
The way I see it (and use it) is that the Store is just a place to go to get programs that offer a more fluid touch experience. It's just Windows 7 with a great touch experience. People need to calm down. -
kcorp2003 ^ guys its not about metro UI or console integration.Reply
It's all about their new windows app market place.
Microsoft's policies and charges for certifying became expensive on the store. Thus affecting indie developers. It's fear for business. cutting off the middlemen. Steam move to linux was a smart move but games being build on OpenGL isn't really that productive when compare to DirectX and windows isn't porting that to linux any time soon.
Razer, Nvidia, AMD or who isn't in the distribution service isn't complaining. (yet) But i hope Microsoft works something out.
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SirGCal Right on! I don't know anyone who honestly wants Windows 8 anyhow accept for some tablets. As a PC platform, it's horrible. But closing up the PC itself... THAT's what made the PC work back in the day. It was an open platform... Otherwise Apple had it owned.Reply
Plus, even M$'s own people and inhouse testers are complaining about Windows 8 Server (the few I know, this is what they test. They hate it absolutely.)... They are not listening to even their own personnel. The stupidity is almost mind boggling.
Kudos to developers putting a foot down! -
samspartan kcorp2003^ guys its about metro UI or console integration. It's all about their new windows app market place.Reply
I was not talking about metro (or whatever). "windows app marketplace" is called the Store. I realize this is a closed system but it is strictly for metro style apps. Applications made for touch screen devices that have no real advantage or sometimes no use at all on a pc. The Store has no effect on the desktop OS itself. -
SirGCal The problem is; if we let microsoft have this one, there will never be another 'PC' os from them. They will all be closed. Any tricks they try to do to get people to accept Windows 8 need to be stomped out. It needs to fail worse then Windows ME (which now they deny ever even existed in the first place)...Reply -
kcorp2003 samspartanI was not talking about metro (or whatever). "windows app marketplace" is called the Store. I realize this is a closed system but it is strictly for metro style apps. Applications made for touch screen devices that have no real advantage or sometimes no use at all on a pc. The Store has no effect on the desktop OS itself.Reply
sorry about that, i was implying to the 1st comment at the time.