Mon, Aug 22, 2011 | 11:39 BST

Skype-Live integration not in the “near-future,” says Xbox Live EU boss

Microsoft is looking at how to integrate Skype into Xbox Live, the company has told VG247, but it’s not something you should expect very soon.

The company was bought for $8.5 billion earlier in the year, with MS adding that it would support Live and Kinect. But in terms of when it will come to the service, it’s probably a bit out.

“I don’t know about the near future, but given the recency of the acquisition, it’s something we know that the company is focussed on,” EMEA Xbox Live product marketing manager Robin Burrowes told us in Cologne last week.

He added that it was “currently figuring out” how to implement it into the service, but there was “nothing in the immediate future for Skype, but the future is rosy in terms of how we can integrate it.”

Burrowes was speaking to us as he showed us the new Xbox dashboard coming by Christmas, codenamed Twist Control. The new experience will include Bing, YouTube and more TV provider support.

7 comments

STEGUINO
22/08/11, 11:09 am

twist dashboard !! yep crap.

Maximum Payne
22/08/11, 11:10 am

Is that hard ?

Blerk
22/08/11, 11:16 am

This is for the “next” console, of course. Not for the 360.

Erthazus
22/08/11, 11:30 am

I think they want to use it for the next Xbox.

@2, Yeap. skype is AWESOME, but takes a lot of resources, so i think it’s better to do for the next generation.

I hope next Playstation will get it too, but chances are slim, but at the same time Microsoft offered Sony a hand for the Vita.

Yoshi
22/08/11, 12:32 pm

@4 ‘Microsoft offered Sony a hand for the Vita.’ They did? Link XD

Erthazus
22/08/11, 12:49 pm

@Yoshi,

http://kotaku.com/5831474/the-ps-vita-goes-social-with-facebook-foursquare-twitter-and-skype

Here you go dinosaur

danhese
22/08/11, 8:12 pm

@Erthazus
Does that article say Microsoft offered Skype to Sony for Vita?
Skype remains free because of the contract Microsoft signed with the previous owners. Microsoft had nothing to do with Vita getting Skype. PSP has Skype, did Microsoft have anything to do with it? No

In fact Microsoft has to keep skype free because it is relevant as long as it has enough customers and subscribers. The important part of the Skype purchase is not the service, Microsoft bought it because Skype has a lot of Customers and Subscribers. There are way better VOIP and chat services better than skype.