Xbox, a pioneer in online console gaming, is discontinuing its modern Avatar system. While Xbox wasn’t the first to offer online gaming, it revolutionized the experience with Xbox Live on the original Xbox and solidified its position with the Xbox 360. This allowed players to connect with friends, use microphones, and enjoy a robust online community. The Xbox 360 further enhanced this with features like party chat, downloadable content, and a high degree of personalization including gamer pictures, themes, and Avatars.
Introduced in 2008, Avatars were customizable digital characters that appeared on player profiles and even within certain games like 1 vs 100. Players could personalize their Avatars with various items and even share virtual experiences like watching Netflix together. The ability to dress Avatars in outfits inspired by popular games added another layer of personalization.
Unfortunately, Avatars became less prominent with the Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles. Their visibility was reduced, primarily appearing only on full profiles, and the Avatar marketplace saw a decline in new content. Although a new, more detailed Avatar editor was released, it failed to revitalize the feature.
Xbox recently announced (via PureXbox) the shutdown of the Xbox Avatar Editor app on January 9th, 2025. This also means the retirement of the newer 3D avatars and their associated items. Players who purchased items for these avatars after November 1st, 2023, will receive automatic refunds. Citing “low engagement” as the reason, Xbox confirmed that players can still utilize the original Xbox 360-era Avatars. A detailed FAQ addressing the shutdown is available here.
Xbox’s official statement explains: “Microsoft is dedicated to delivering great experiences for players, including a variety of options to personalize their gaming experience with Xbox. Due to low engagement and our shift in focus towards delivering other player experiences, the Xbox Avatar Editor app will no longer be available starting on January 9, 2025. Players can still personalize their gaming experience with dynamic backgrounds and profile colors on Xbox consoles, and with Xbox Original Avatars, profile themes, and gamerpics on Xbox consoles and PCs.”
While the classic Avatars will remain available, the retirement of the modern system marks the end of an era. This is particularly noteworthy given the current popularity of customizable in-game avatars in titles like Call of Duty, Fortnite, and Roblox.
It remains to be seen if Xbox will revisit Avatars in the future, perhaps integrating them into a metaverse-like ecosystem. For now, the focus seems to be on other personalization options and player experiences.
