New Xbox Avatar Launch Window Remains a Mystery Following Executive Comment

Xbox's Mike Ybarra debunked news that the new Xbox avatars would release in April by saying that the feature would ship whenever it was ready.

Ybarra tweeted his response to the avatars' supposed release date while stressing that the Xbox team has "no firm date" and added that the date the avatars would be shipped to everyone would be based on feedback from those who try it out first.

They’ll ship when they’re ready. We have no firm date and ship date will be based on feedback (like most features). https://t.co/yZuxjdFblD

— Mike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) March 14, 2018

The refuting of the suspected release date came in response to a Eurogamer article that cited The Verge's report that stated the new and improved avatars would be released for all Xbox One owners in April with those involved in the Xbox Insider program being able to test them this month. The Verge attributed the new information to "sources familiar with the company," and while Ybarra's tweet doesn't explicitly mean that the avatars aren't coming in April, it does debunk the idea that a firm release date has been set.

Those who have been following the development of the new avatars will remember that the improved feature was revealed last year during E3 with Microsoft saying that the enhanced avatar creation system would be available by the end of 2017 for some users. The new avatars have been shown to include more customizable options that included props, outfits, and even previewed accommodations for amputees, as shown in the reveal trailer above. With the 2017 release timeframe passed and the April release struck down, there's still no known release window for when the new avatars will be available.

However, that doesn't mean that players haven't seen some of the progress lately. During the recent Windows Developer Day update, those watching spotted the new Xbox avatars on-screen which led to further speculation about how far along the development was on the feature, but there' still no timeframe for when they'll be available.

The new avatar feature will likely go to the Xbox Insider program first, however, to get that feedback that Ybarra mentioned in the tweet, so look for more updates on the avatars leading up to their release, whenever that may be.

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