MANILA, Philippines – Microsoft has confirmed earlier rumors that it would retire Windows Live Messenger and merge Messenger services with Skype.

On a post on the official Skype blog announcing the “coming together” of the two services, it was announced that the plan includes the retirement of Messenger worldwide in the first quarter of 2013, save for China, which will continue to have Messenger.

Users who have Microsoft accounts and the latest version of Skype can simply log in using their credentials, while users with Skype and Microsoft accounts can merge their accounts to gain access to the combined buddy lists from the two services.

Currently, the services can work together but without a connection of networks. As Peter Bright of Ars Technica writes, “Users of the Skype client can see both networks; Messenger clients, whether first- or third-party, will only see Messenger users.” – Rappler.com