Microsoft is closing the London office that was home to part of its Skype development, causing the loss of 220 jobs. A further 300 people are losing their jobs in Redmond as Microsoft makes cuts that were previously announced in July. In a statement, the company said:

Microsoft is consolidating offices across London, moving employees to Microsoft’s new office at Paddington. As part of this effort, Microsoft reviewed some London-based roles and made the decision to unify some engineering positions, potentially putting at risk a number of globally focused Skype and Yammer roles. We are deeply committed to doing everything we can to help those impacted through this process. Microsoft will be entering into a consultation process and offer new opportunities, where possible.

Sources close to the matter tell us that another factor may have been influential in the decision to shut down the London Skype office. Currently, the company has the traditional Windows desktop app; the new Universal Windows Platform app for Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Xbox, and Skype; the Skype Web client; and a Web-based standalone app for Linux (which apparently also has internal builds that run on Windows, too). Skype also has mobile apps for iOS and Android in addition to a macOS client.

This is an excessive number of clients, and what we’re hearing is that Microsoft’s solution is to develop yet another client, codenamed “Skype for Life.” This one client will be cross-platform, covering not just Windows but Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android.