Microsoft’s multimedia encyclopedia, first published in 1993, was called Encarta.
Encarta was designed for the CD-ROM era, combining encyclopedia articles with photographs, illustrations, music, video, maps, timelines, atlases, and interactive features. Its multimedia format made it more engaging than a conventional printed reference set and suited the expanding home-computer market.
The project was officially launched under the name Encarta in 1993. Its initial price was reportedly $395, though Microsoft soon reduced the price and often bundled the software with new computers. The first edition used text from Funk & Wagnalls, whose publisher continued producing revised editions independently for a time.
Encarta later expanded onto the web through subscription access, with some content available free with advertising. Its final major release was Encarta Premium 2009. Microsoft discontinued the product in 2009 as free, constantly updated online reference sources—especially Wikipedia—changed how people searched for information.