Let's employ rational actor and game theory. It can be safely, I would contend, presumed that microsoft is profit seeking. They will only continue to develop both engines as long as the profits from java exceeded the additional development cost. A development company has an incentive to program a game only once: not twice. That's why we almost never see cross overs into Nintendo, because unlike the other platforms, it requires double programming.

If Windows 10 gets to a point that it is ubiquitous enough for Microsoft to justify cost savings on double-development, I can be very safely assured they will favour Windows 10 version. And add to that the fact the community has long questioned the viability of java in the long run.

I am not against a slow depreciation of java once there is parity, my only beef is it is Windows 10 only: not older OS or Unix etc. Microsoft bought this IP for more than just mercandise: they hope it will push kids who are loyal into windows phones and windows machines. It's a long-game. If all this is true, they will slowly favour Windows 10 version over java.

But we will have to wait a few years to see if this is true. The status quo will prevail for many mercannum.

No sense calling this discussion irrational. It's worthy of discussion, even if the implications are years out. It doesn't change our beloved game today, but one day it might.

Additionally, the concern about dlc that I raised was the door it opens. Sure, skin packs are designed to sucker in kids who don't know about the modding community. Mentions of DLC end access were obviously jokes. But who knows what model they will take for the future. I've seen plenty of companies start with small aesthetic dlc releases, only to expand on it. They won't make old features dlc obviously, but it would be perhaps more irrational than anything to completely write off the possibility that future features (a few years out) could possibly be dlc-based.