Microsoft may be working to completely retire Windows Live
Messenger (formerly named MSN
Messenger) in the coming months,
with plans to integrate the service
into Skype, reports the Verge. An official announcement revealing
this change could come as soon as this
week, although Microsoft has yet to
confirm or deny anything. This
decision would make quite a lot of
sense, if true, as Microsoft has been in the process of retiring the entire
Windows Live brand for months. Windows Live Messenger relies on
Microsoft’s Messenger service — the
same service that is already being
used to support Skype. Having a
shared architecture could be an early
sign that a merger is coming. Additionally, consolidating services
like this would reduce the potential
confusion that duplicate options often
cause. Microsoft only released Windows Live
Messenger 2012 back in August,
which suggests that the company is
taking its time moving things over. As
of 2009, Windows Live Messenger had
over 330 million monthly active users. At the very least, this means that Skype
will soon see a major jump in
numbers. Microsoft first acquired Skype back in
May 2011 for 8.5 billion.

http://m.technewstube.com/the-next-web/123674/microsofts-windows-live-messenger-may-soon-be-retired-and-integrated-into-skype/