Microsoft to Replace Live Messenger with Skype

In case you haven’t noticed, Microsoft has been trying hard in recent months to push all of us towards Skype, and that means one thing for Windows Live Messenger: it’s on its way out. While this isn’t going to come as a surprise to many, it’s a major progression to see as Messenger has been a de facto chat client for millions of people for a while. It’s gone through a few name changes, but at its heart, a lot of people can relate to Messenger.

According to The Verge, Microsoft is going to be announcing the retirement of Messenger soon, at which point Skype will become the official replacement. It’s being said that 80% of all IMs being sent on Skype are handled through Messenger, so it appears that many people are already familiar with it.

I’ve always been pretty happy with Skype’s IM and voice service, so I don’t really consider this to be a bad thing. But for those still kicking it with the official Live Messenger client, Skype is definitely going to require a bit of a learning-curve. For Microsoft’s best interests, though, moving primarily to Skype is a very smart move.