Have you ever experienced a problem with a game? It could be a bug or glitch. Maybe things aren’t running properly or crash. Given the state of the industry, where products can be rushed to market or launch half-baked, it isn’t entirely uncommon. But, it is far worse for PC gamers. Due to the number of builds out there, each person’s experience could be different with the same game, due to components, operating systems, and other issues. Which is why companies who put out PC games owe it to gamers to be on top of things. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen.
Microsoft had a huge flub recently that shows companies still have a long ways to go. It all has to do with the Windows 10 Creator’s Update . This launched back in April 2017, so quite a while ago. What happened is that some people, after it released, said their games with the update weren’t running properly. There was stuttering and FPS issues. They went to Microsoft and the internet, because you know the second something goes wrong people complain. Except in this instance, they went unheard, even though it was clear the Creator’s Update was part of the problem.
For months, the stuttering issue persisted. Some people even tried to claim there was nothing really wrong, perhaps that the Creator’s Update wasn’t the issue. The Microsoft topic logged back on April 27 didn’t even get a response from Paul Aaron, a Microsoft Support Engineer, until July 10. It took until August 25 for Aaron to return and say that Microsoft finally found what might be causing the problem. Might, by the way, is key here. And even still, the Windows Insider build 16251 still isn’t fixing the problem. Things aren’t fixed five months later.
It is a huge problem and clear case of a company not taking customers and their needs seriously. Microsoft has known about this Windows Creator’s Update flaw since April. It is now September. Some even took the Windows Insider build 16251 as the complete “fix,” even though many people are still experiencing the issue. That it took until July for an initial official response to the problem is bad. That it is coming up on three weeks since Microsoft finally acknowledged that the problem is there, but hasn’t offered a timeline to absolutely fix it is worse.
Sure, things can’t happen immediately. Computers and their operating systems are complicated. But this is indicative of a greater problem. Games like Tales of Symphonia and NieR: Automata had problems for quite some time before Bandai Namco and Square Enix resolved them, if it happened at all. Microsoft let this issue Windows Creator’s Update issue fester for months, with people seeing no acknowledgement or action until only recently. Worse, you could say they were treated as though their problems were in their own minds and not valid.
People want and need to be heard. When companies provide a game or service, they owe it to their customers to stay on top of things. A situation like this Microsoft Windows Creator’s Update issue, where people felt ignored, marginalized, and pushed aside, shakes people’s faith in a major company like Microsoft. These companies should be working hard and doing their best to make sure everything is at its best for the people who depend on them.