On January 9, 2025, Xbox players will have to say goodbye to this cult feature after 17 years of loyal service

Gaming News On January 9, 2025, Xbox players will have to say goodbye to this cult feature after 17 years of loyal service

Xbox believed it

Despite all the benefits this feature brings to the user experience, Xbox announces it The Avatar Editor will be permanently deleted on January 9th. Anything purchased after November 1st to customize these little characters will be refunded and only the original Xbox 360 creations will remain (i.e. it will still be possible to edit them in the original editor and use them in supported games) . The reason given by Xbox:

Due to the low commitment and our changing perspective on offering new gaming experiences – Official Xbox Blog.

See Xbox Game Pass at Microsoft

Introduced on the Xbox 360 in 2008, the Xbox Avatar Editor allows many gamers to personalize their gaming experience, just as Wii owners have been able to do since 2006. The company has invested heavily in this concept of character customization: users can create small virtual people based on their image to embody them in various games and applications. The functionality was also introduced to Kinect following a presentation during CES in January 2011. The avatars then came onto the market at the same time as the console's new UI interface, which made operation even more intuitive.

Avatar original

Still very much appreciated

In keeping with the rise of social networking, Xbox avatars also allow gamers to meet virtually to chat online, as the Metaverse of Meta would enable many years later. With Kinect and its motion capture, you can observe your virtual dual movement by tracking your movements and facial expressions. Of course, avatars could also be used in games, for example in Sports Rivals, A Kingdom for Keflings, Joy Ride Turbo or Doritos Crash Course. It is also possible to collect new accessories for your avatars as you unlock achievements, such as in Halo 3 or Left 4 Dead.

Modern version

In 2018, Xbox also made an editor overhaul to create more comprehensive modern avatars. Players could then create characters with disabilitiesFor example. These avatars are visually more fluid and similar to those in Disney Dreamvalley (2022). Xbox then offered major competition to the Miis, offering much more detailed and realistic customization features, such as more clothing choices. For their part, Nintendo's avatars are also not doing so well, many services based on their concept have been closed (Miiverse, Miitomo) and their appearance has also been revised, which disappointed some fans.