Avatar editor for Xbox is shutting down in January

Key things

The Microsoft Xbox Avatar Editor will be completely retired in early January.
According to a report from Pure Xbox, “low interaction with the program” is one of the reasons the feature is being removed.
Players who have spent money since November 1, 2023 will be refunded.

Since the dawn of the Xbox 360 console, avatars have been an integral part of the Xbox identity and user experience. A more customizable version of Nintendo's Miis, Avatars allowed players to customize their character to exactly match their personality, including different clothing options, accessories, and features.

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Unfortunately, if recent reports are anything to go by, the Avatars will be gone for good come early January. This decision marks the end of one of the game's most unique and famous features.

Pour One Out for Avatars

As first announced by Pure Xbox, the Xbox Avatar Editor will be discontinued entirely. From now until January 9th, players will be able to use the app, including having their player become their avatar.

According to information obtained from Xbox, “low engagement with the program” is the reason why the editor will cease to exist. In doing so, Microsoft will be able to focus on “providing experiences for other players.”

In a statement, Microsoft said the following:

“All Xbox Avatar purchases between November 1, 2023 and January 9, 2025 will be refunded to your valid payment instrument after the Xbox Avatar Editor app is no longer available. You can review your purchase and refund history here.”

The refund part is a nice consolation on Microsoft's part, especially since some gamers likely spent real dollars on customization options.

That said, it's important to note that what's going away is the Xbox Avatar Editor available on modern Xbox consoles. The original Xbox Originals Avatar app will still be available, which specifically affects the Xbox 360, will still be available.

With many gamers having long since left their 360s behind, the demise of the modern Xbox Avatar Editor is a huge blow to fans of personalization. While its focus has certainly diminished over the years compared to how avatars were used on the 360, it was still an integral part of what made the Xbox, well, an Xbox.