Have you ever felt like Xbox Avatars have taken a backseat in the gaming community? It’s hardly surprising since they’ve been pretty low-key lately. Well, in a recent announcement, Microsoft shared some big news: the Xbox Avatar Editor is getting the axe.
Come January 9th, 2025, this app—yep, the one that lets you create the avatar style pictured above—will be no more. If you’ve crafted an avatar with it, it’ll vanish, along with any accessories you bought.
The folks at Microsoft pointed to “low engagement with the program” as the main reason for letting it go. They aim to shift focus and resources towards “delivering other player experiences.” On the plus side, any avatar-related purchases made from November 1st, 2023, will be refunded once the app is phased out.
In Microsoft’s own words, “All Xbox Avatar purchases from November 1, 2023, through January 9, 2025, will be refunded to your valid payment instrument after the Xbox Avatar Editor app is no longer available.” You can check the status of your purchases and refunds anytime.
But don’t worry, avatars aren’t disappearing completely. What’s sticking around is the Xbox Original Avatars app. Yep, those classic 2008 avatars that many of you remember fondly. They’ll still function on the Xbox 360 and pop up in games like Doritos Crash Course, for the foreseeable future.
So, it’s primarily the newer version of Xbox Avatars that’s heading for retirement next year. Before then, if you like using your avatar as your gamerpic, it might be wise to update it. Just swing by your profile, hit “change gamerpic,” take a snapshot of your avatar, and preserve a piece of gaming nostalgia.
To help you make sense of it all, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two apps:
On the left, the Xbox Avatar Editor App, which won’t survive past January 2025, and on the right, the enduring Xbox Original Avatars App, still going strong.
What’s your take on these changes to Xbox Avatars? Please, share your thoughts in the comments below.
