Skype will soon be the default chat service on Windows PCs and tablets as well as on the next Xbox, according to a report on CVG.

Quoting “a person familiar with the matter”, the report states that Microsoft will be consolidating all their communications technology around the Skype platform.

"You might jump to the conclusion that we'll see asynchronous voice and video messages in next-gen Xbox Live," said the source.

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for US$8.5 billion – the largest acquisition in its forty year history.

It has begun closing MSN Messenger accounts and is encouraging users to instead use Skype’s messaging tool.

A recent job advertisement from the company sought a UI designer for the “next gen Xbox", based at Microsoft's UK Skype offices.

"The team you'll join is responsible for Skype in the living room (broadly the home), across various devices but with a focus on the large screen and the next generation of Xbox," it read.