It's been difficult, but we've managed to keep this under wraps for quite some time. We are super-excited to finally announce a completely new gaming experience for Windows Live Messenger 2011.
When you use full view in Messenger, you'll see a new "Games" tab. The games tab centralises all your gaming activity on Messenger in one view, where you can connect to your Facebook and Messenger friends and add to your casual gaming with social elements such as leaderboards, friend feeds and game updates.
You can invite friends to play with you side-by-side within the conversation window, or you can play solo, and then challenge your friends afterwards when you post your high score.
Another new social element on the games tab is the ability to quickly see which of your friends are online and what game they are playing. You can join them then and there or try something more daring like challenging them at their favourite game.
We've also introduced some of Messenger 2011's other features into the new gaming experience. For instance, you can now video chat while playing with a friend. Beating your best bud is one thing, but imagine watching their reaction in real-time just as you surpass their score.
What can you play?
Our top picks would have to be Cubis 2, iFind, Score and Super Stacker. But there will also be a selection of more than 35 new free-to-play games, in addition to the tried-and-true favourites you could play in Messenger already. We've lined up some great partnerships to bring you a diverse mix of puzzle games, hidden object games, card and board games, and some fun physics games that are almost too unique to classify. And there will be more to come. As our partners release new games, we plan to roll them out to you. So, check your Messenger games tab often for the latest and greatest games to play.
What's next?
We know you love new games, and the good news is that game developers are lining up to build them. So we're taking important steps to improve their distribution and discovery. We're working with publishing partners around the world to bring world-class games to our multiple platforms, and engaging with them to make the chat experience deeper and richer.
Along with the new Messenger games tab, soon you'll find a new MSN Games preview, an updated Bing gaming experience, and a new online Games for Windows Marketplace. These new game experiences will be rolling out in the coming months.
If you haven't got the new Messenger, we promise continued support for your gaming experience. So jump online and try out the new games tab today.
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