Microsoft is finally shutting down MSN Messenger

Microsoft has finally decided to shut down its MSN Messenger service, an instant messenger client launched in an era of the Internet when AOL’s AIM still mattered.

The company previously stated that it planned to end support for MSN Messenger last year, choosing instead to focus on its much more popular Skype service. That makes sense considering that Skype has a bright future, as well as traction that scales beyond machines running Windows-based operating systems. However, the company did permit the MSN Messenger service to continue running in China until now.

Now it plans to shut down support for MSN Messenger in China by the end of October, reports ZDnet. The move was likely the result of growing support for the chat service QQ from China-based Tencent, which understandably stole away users.

After October, users in China will need to start using Skype if they’d like a replacement messaging service from Microsoft.