Microsoft mops up Mesh after another metaverse misfire

As of December 1, mixed reality collaboration platform Microsoft Mesh is no more, and Redmond has directed customers to immersive events in Teams.

The writing has been on the wall for Microsoft Mesh for some time. After a lengthy stint in preview, the service became generally available in 2024 as a 3D world where users could hold meetings and events.

The plan was that users could select a 3D environment and an avatar for themselves then, rather than perch on a kitchen table or grab the first hot-desking spot, immerse themselves therein.

While neat, there was also a clear overlap with Teams, which also had the option to join an immersive space (if enabled) or participate in a custom immersive space in Mesh itself, so was there really a need for a separate standalone service? The answer appears to be no.

Microsoft had already announced Mesh's retirement as a ...