Microsoft revealed last week that it would no longer support the Internet Games suite that has been a key component of Windows for 19 years.
Internet Games for Windows XP and ME will be discontinued later this month, while the same service for Windows 7 will be discontinued next January.
A statement by a company spokesman mentions the games: lists losses such as backgammon, Checkers, Spades, Hearts, and Reversi.
The company thanks the "big community" that these games had, but adds:
However, the time has come with our software and hardware partners to invest our resources in the latest technologies so that we can continue to offer new experiences. Today's players can enjoy the games until the above dates. When the game services in the listed games expire, they will no longer be able to play.
I'm sure this will upset many users of older operating systems such as Windows 7, which is still a fairly popular operating system.
As of the latest Net Applications report, Windows 7 has about 38% of the market share and Windows 10 about 41%.
It is unfortunate that we see such classic games being abandoned when threateningly addictive games are promoted.
This does not mean that we will not see backgammon in Windows again. The group closes the statement with the following:
While we are saddened to leave this chapter behind, we continue to be committed to providing an exciting, enjoyable gaming experience.
Maybe that means we can see some variation of these games in the future. Microsoft may include an upgraded Internet Games suite in a later version of Windows.
Because hope dies last.
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