There's a lot going on in that thread, it's pretty unclear. I do not understand why do they blame Microsoft for slow game performance and issues, it's like a kindergarden or something ? This would alienate all the benefits of DX12 - "inside a sandbox" - I mean, if this is true then there has to be some thread specifically about this, not some people saying something in a thread that's about 5 other things. Because it just sounds way too bad to be true. Ofcourse I wouldn't be surprised if MS tried at least half of that trick but the reason why this mellow response, there's 50 pages of stuff to read and we have Vulcan now, so it wouldn't be a big deal anyway since I don't care about gaming that much anymore, I don't use any of the services Steam provides even if it was all free, I don't need features, I can go and make stuff in the real world and have a proper social experience, and I play like 3-5 games with month of pause in-between, and those 3 don't rely on Microsoft and probably never will, they'll find an alternative. Honestly Windows days are numbered, it will become so dumbed down even tweaks/tricks/mods won't be worthwhile anymore, people who rely on it will be hit hardest, I'm not preparing physically, but I have to prepare mentally lika a decade in advance so the effects will be easier to bare.
But if they didn't license it they'd wind up as Apple has done so many time--like with Firewire--wanting to license a tech for $$$, which has the effect of driving developers away and driving them to use something else. By the time Apple wised up about Firewire it was too late as USB had already eaten it for breakfast. Microsoft wants to get DX12 in the hands of as many developers as possible because you can't use d3d without Windows or an xBone... Microsoft could stipulate that you had to give a pint of blood to the red cross to use DX, but that doesn't mean anyone would use it... Believe me, Microsoft has no intention of restricting DX games to the Windows store... I'll happily concede though that when it comes to common sense about the gaming markets, Microsoft seems almost as bereft as Apple... However, Microsoft was smart enough years ago to develop DX and to invest in it, so it doesn't seem likely they'd want to throw that away because all it would do is push developers away from d3d and towards Vulkan/OpenGL instead.
I would guarantee 100 percent that the originator of the rumour is someone who refuses to move to Windows 10, or someone that moved to Windows 10 only for the benefit of saying 'I'm on Windows 10, therefore this is fact'. Those games that are PUBLISHED (yes, I capitalised that to drive home the point) by Microsoft are those that are through the Windows store currently. These games are Fable Legens, Gears of War, Quantum Break, and Forza Motorsport 6. Regardless of DirectX 12, the Windows store, or anything else, these were going to be published by Microsoft anyway. It just may seem a little disproportionate in the DirectX 12 titles of Microsoft and other publishes, simply because Microsoft wants to get the ball rolling with games and Directx 12. DirectX 12 is still likely to be the most used interface, although I do see Vulkan taking a share of that. Remember that before Vulkan there was OpenGL, and before DirectX 12 there was DirectX 11, it may be the case that nothing much have changed. There may be even games that are both DirectX 12 and Vulkan, who knows? It would probably be easier making a game Directx 12 and Vulkan rather than DirectX 12 and also backwards support with DirectX 11. Directx 12 and 11 are radically different, too much effort. Vulkan and DirectX 12 on the other hand aren't dissimilar, they are both 'inspired by' Mantle.