Microsoft is preparing a big announcement at its Build conference this month, and rumors say that it has to do with the company's universal Xbox apps.
According to information from insiders, Microsoft will use the San Francisco conference to offer relevant details about its plans to open the platform to coders.
The leader of Xbox, Phil Spencer, backs the rumors with a tweet.
We will discuss our next steps with the Universal Windows Platform at //build later this month.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 4, 2016
Last year, during the Mobile World Congress, Microsoft unveiled the first native Windows 10 app working on Xbox One, but has since kept mum about the development of the project.
So far, coders can compile apps that work on Xbox One, but these lack the universal support for Windows 10, meaning that they cannot function on tablets, phones, PCs and consoles directly. Leaders from the company recently confirmed that Windows 10 Universal apps are in tow.
As a reminder, the Universal Windows Platform is the unified coding language that permits coders to write apps that can function seamlessly on both Windows 10 and Xbox sans modification.
At the upcoming Microsoft Build conference, participants should hear about the company's plans to open up its Xbox app store. This would offer developers quicker access to apps and games for the Xbox One.
The announcement could have a big impact on the software and gaming world, as it might lead to a surge of new games and apps that will function on both Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 devices, be it phones, tablets or PCs.
In case of a well-knit and tight integration of the ecosystems, users would be able to start playing a title on PC, continue the progress on Xbox One and finish the game on a mobile device.
However, not everyone is happy about the development of the Universal Windows Apps.
Tim Sweeney, co-founder of Epic Games, said that Microsoft aims to build a walled garden via its cross-platform capability.
He called on gaming companies to oppose this trend, and Spencer responded.
"Windows has always been an open ecosystem welcoming the contributions of hardware and software partners, and will always continue to be," the Verge quotes Spencer.
The Xbox One leader refutes the accusations from Sweeney and claims that the promised universal apps for Windows 10 constitute a "fully open ecosystem."
