''Microsoft Ants'' was a
multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game (e.g. a board game) in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decisio ...
for 2 to 4 players on the
Microsoft Gaming Zone
MSN Games (also known as Zone.com - formerly known as The Village, Internet Gaming Zone, MSN Gaming Zone, and MSN Games by Zone.com) is a casual gaming web site, with single player, multiplayer, PC download, and social casino video games. Games ...
. The game was themed around the concept of ants competing to make their nests thrive. On January 31, 2006, Microsoft's Zone retired Ants due to a lack of players.
Gameplay
The objective of the game was to obtain the most points by the end of the game. Points could be obtained by eating or stealing food from other players, often by making use of the various power-ups available. Each player began at a nest with a pre-programmed number of ants. The ants were to move around the game-field and bring back pieces of food to their home nest, such as candy, cookies,
Twinkies
A Twinkie is an American snack cake, described as "golden sponge cake with a creamy filling". It was formerly made and distributed by Hostess Brands. The brand is currently owned by Hostess Brands, Inc. (), having been formerly owned by privat ...
, etc. with each piece increasing the player's points. The game ended when a time limit ran out, and the winner was determined based on the number of points earned.
History
Microsoft Ants was created in 1996 as a