The past few days rumors where rife that Windows Live Messenger would be phased out; today Microsoft has announced and confirmed that is indeed what will happen. It would be unwise to be running two very big messaging services so Microsoft has chosen to retire WLM, favoring instead the P2P and VIOP network of Skype, which it spent $8.5 billion to buy in May of last year. Skype is also being tightly woven into the new Windows 8 OS and also smartphones and tablets released in October and coming soon to Xbox.

Windows Live Messenger started back in 1999 when instand messaging really started to take off, seeing some different interfaces, new features like video and phone calling and a name change or two (was called MSN Messenger). Up until 2010 Microsoft said that WLM had over 300 million users, but the rise of other social networks and VIOP software like Skype meant it was seeing fewer fewer downloads. Today WLM and Yahoo Messenger are fighting for second place, depending on which research report you view. Skype in contrast has steadily increased its user base to 280 million, with some 40 million con current at any one time. This number will grow, as Skype is the main VOIP will work with you over the next few months to help you transition and offer information and help along the way. To help you learn how to get the most out of Skype, be on the lookout for some special offers later this year as you join your Messenger friends in the migration. IP service on its latest smartphones and tablets.

From Skype 6.0 released some weeks back, users could log in with their Microsoft account and have their WLM contacts appear, making it easier to start using Skype. All other users will be migrated over sometime in the first quarter of 2013. This is the second major service retirement from Microsoft, the other was Hotmail.com being transferred over to the Outlook.com domain and email address. Skype will also be more closely tied into the new Outlook email service. Microsoft’s head of Skype said in the blog announcement, “We will work with you over the next few months to help you transition and offer information and help along the way. To help you learn how to get the most out of Skype, be on the lookout for some special offers later this year as you join your Messenger friends in the migration.” The special offers could be in the form of credits for Skype calling to landline numbers. It will be sad and nostalgic to see another old service that many have seen growing up with the internet.