Build 2016: Microsoft unveils Desktop App Converter to turn desktop games to Universal apps

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We’re only an hour into Microsoft’s BUILD 2016 conference, and we already have seen some revolutionary announcements. The latest innovation in line is Microsoft’s new Desktop App Converter, which will allow developers to convert their win32 apps into UWP games for Windows 10.

To demonstrate how Desktop App Converter works, Microsoft’s Phil Spencer showed us a converted version of Age of Empires II, which the company ‘took’ from Steam and turned into a UWP app. As shown on the stage, the game is identical and as functional as the desktop version, so this could indeed represent a revolution in porting gaming experiences to Windows 10.

Besides Age of Empires II, which is older and less-demanding game, Spencer showed us how Microsoft converted something much more impressive: the Witcher III. So, if this project lives up to the hype, it will allow developers to easily bring basically any game to a UWP platform.

More about the topics: build 2016, windows games