Microsoft lists new Open App Store Principles to help clear regulatory hurdles
Microsoft has 11 principles it would like to share.
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What you need to know
Following itspurchase of Activision Blizzard, Microsoft has released a blog post stating its newly christened Open App Store Principles. The company states the post is to let regulators and consumers know that it’s making moves to get ahead of legislation so it can best work within the bounds of upcoming laws rather than combat them.
Given that Big Tech has come underincreased scrutiny in recent yearsand Microsoft is in need of regulatory clearance for its gaming acquisition to go through, it’s doing what it can to set up a smooth process. Some argue Microsoft’s ability to avoid lawmaker scrutiny boils down to itslobbying power, though Microsoft insists it’s a matter of playing by the rules and being on the “right side of history.”
In the announcement’sopening remarks, ahead of its introduction of the 11 new Open App Store Principles, there appears to be a quick jab at Apple. The author of the post, Microsoft President Brad Smith, says, “too much friction exists today between creators and gamers; app store policies and practices on mobile devices restrict what and how creators can offer games and what and how gamers can play them.” If you’re wondering what specifically that is a reference to, it may very well be a callout to the recent resurgence ofEpic v. Apple chatter.
After the opening remarks, the post breaks the 11 new principles into four subsections.
Quality, Safety, Security & Privacy:
Accountability:
Fairness and Transparency:
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Developer Choice:
The post also clarifies Microsoft’s stance onhow it will share Call of Dutywith Sony and Nintendo in upcoming years.
The Microsoft Store and thecompany’s other storefrontshave not always been considered the most consumer- ordeveloper-friendly. Time will tell if these new principles change that perception.
Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.
