Microsoft finally pushing Win32 support for Windows Store and Windows 10

Microsoft will fully support Win32 titles in the Microsoft Store, as of today.

While the company’s “revolutionary” UWP format was designed to replace the older Win32 app format, Microsoft appears to be back-peddling this decision.

In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft said:

“We recognize that Win32 is the app format that game developers love to use and gamers love to play, so we are excited to share that we will be enabling full support for native Win32 games to the Microsoft Store on Windows. This will unlock more options for developers and gamers alike, allowing for the customization and control they’ve come to expect from the open Windows gaming ecosystem.”

According to the post, Microsoft believes it is “critical” that the company makes decisions which reinforce the open nature of the PC platform. Alongside today’s announcements of Xbox Game Pass PC and a bigger push for Xbox Game Studios games on more platforms, it’s clear Microsoft cares about spreading out their resources.

Microsoft then goes on to say that PC players should look forward to the company’s upcoming Xbox E3 briefing on June 9th. If Phil Spencer’s previous announcement is anything to go by, it should be one of their strongest yet.