Want to blow up Clippy? Obliterate an old operating system? Here’s your chance.
As a part of Microsoft’s ongoing campaign to get the last hold-outs off of Windows XP, the company has worked with ad agency Bradley and Montgomery to create “Escape from XP,” a short game that allows players to fight off an advancing horde of obsolete computers.
The game pits the last programmer still supporting XP up against an apocalyptic horde of zombified old PCs and walking personifications of Internet Explorer 6. A very angry looking Clippy rampages through a ruined city in the background. When the game ends, the player is rescued by helicopter so they can nuke the apocalyptic scene (and Clippy) out of existence.
It’s a funny jab that points to Microsoft’s end of support for its venerable operating system, which has been in use for more than a decade. Support for XP officially ended last week, but many companies still haven’t upgraded their systems away from the old software. XP still powers key infrastructure like ATMs, and Microsoft is looking for any way to get people away from it, especially since the lack of support leaves XP open to attack from malware.
To try and coax consumers away from XP, Microsoft is offering a $100 credit to users who leave XP for a new machine, and the latest Windows 8.1 Update provides a number of changes that make using the desktop more friendly to people who are used to older versions of the company’s OS.
While consumers fleeing XP has provided a slight boost to flagging PC sales, there are still plenty of people out there running the old OS.
