It’s the end of an era for one of Microsoft’s most popular instant messaging software products. Microsoft started to phase out MSN Messenger (also known as Windows Live Messenger) globally in April 2013 and it will be completely shut down on October 31st.
MSN Messenger is only available in mainland China until then. In an e-mail about the changes, Microsoft suggested that users switch to Skype. As an incentive to join Skype, Microsoft is offering a free US$2 credit to users that make the switch.
Microsoft launched MSN Messenger in 1999 as a competitor to Instant Messenger (AIM) and ICQ. MSN Messenger supported access to AIM, but America Online tried continuously to block Microsoft.
As MSN Messenger grew in popularity, additional features were created like custom emoticons, games and a nudge feature that shakes the chat window.
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