It put on a brave fight, but was no match for online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia. Finally Microsoft has decided to pull the plug off Encarta.

Microsoft says in its Encarta FAQ section: “On October 31, 2009, MSN® Encarta® Web sites worldwide will be discontinued, with the exception of Encarta Japan, which will be discontinued on December 31, 2009. Additionally, Microsoft will cease to sell Microsoft Student and Encarta Premium software products worldwide by June 2009.”

Why? “Encarta has been a popular product around the world for many years. However, the category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed. People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past,” says MS. Wikipedia, the online editable encyclopedia, with over 95 per cent of the online market is one of the major “considerably different ways” people get information. Microsoft, with all its muscle, could only watch as Wikipedia gained and consolidated its hold on the encyclopedia market