Skype replaces Xbox Live chat, tipped for "next gen Xbox Live" - report

Having replaced MSN messenger with the recently acquired Skype service in 2011, Microsoft is now poised to do the same with Xbox Live chat, a CVG report indicates.

Someone close to the project is quoted as saying that Microsoft is "consolidating all their communications technology" around Skype, making it the firm's default communication service across PCs, tablets and consoles. "You might jump to the conclusion that we'll see asynchronous voice and video messages in next-gen Xbox Live," the insider added. Doesn't sound like much of a stretch, does it?

Since buying Skype for $8.5 billion in November 2011, Microsoft has taken steps to integrate it with their existing technology. A recent job ad for a role at the UK Skype offices reads: "the team you'll join is responsible for Skype in the living room (broadly the home), across various devices but with a focus on the large screen and the next generation of Xbox."

Naturally, all this supports the view that the next generation of Xbox will be as much about unifying existing technologies and services as moving the goal posts. What do you think Microsoft's handling of Skype bodes for Xbox?

By Alex Hawksworth-Brookes