Blizzard Echoes Valve’s 'Windows 8 catastrophe' Comments

Source: CVG

Obviously, Gabe Newell of Valve Software is not the only one who thinks Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. Rob Pardo, the executive vice president of game design at the Diablo 3 studio, quoted Newell's comments on his personal twitter account before adding that Windows 8 is "not awesome for Blizzard either".

 On Twitter, when discussing the shortage of Windows 8, Pardo left a comment as follows upon Newell’s tweet.

“Nice interview with Gabe Newell - "I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space* - not awesome for Blizzard either

It appears that his claims were centered on criticisms that Microsoft will want to have more control over various applications and purchases made through its next operating system. The full details have not yet been announced by Microsoft.

"There's a strong temptation to close the platform," Newell said, "because they look at what they can accomplish when they limit the competitors' access to the platform, and they say, 'That's really exciting.'"

This appears to reference to the Windows Store in the Microsoft operating system, which could restrict companies' options to sell their software directly. Microsoft will take a 30 per cent royalty cut of every sale made through this store.

If this is true, it will be a catastrophe for PC game industry. No one would want to produce and sell PC games any more. For companies like Blizzard who has its own sale’s channel and Vavle who has an online sale’s platform, it would be even worse.