All articles tagged with #avatars
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Xbox is giving away free dynamic themes and avatars designed by community creators, plus a 25th-anniversary badge for players who log in across console, PC, or the mobile app, and a Game Pass spotlight featuring classic titles like Fable Anniversary, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Fallout 4, and Psychonauts 2.
PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive a free Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls Pack at the game’s launch on August 6, 2026, for PS5 (and PC); the pack includes five avatars (Captain America, Storm, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, Ghost Rider) and in‑game Result Screen Character Poses for all 20 launch characters, and remains available for one year until August 6, 2027. The content appears PS5‑exclusive for the poses, and a PC version isn’t mentioned. The announcement follows Marvel Tokon’s open beta and comes alongside other DLC reveals like Phoenix Cyclops and a Wolverine costume.
Kotaku reports that the Star Fox remake for Switch 2 includes an Avatar feature that lets players map their faces onto Star Fox characters for VTuber-style videos, quickly fueling memes and skits as fans push characters to say outrageous lines—like Falco being anti-vaxxer—demonstrating how this tech can turn in-game moments into viral content.
Sony is giving away indie-themed PSN avatars (from Baby Steps, Cairn, and Lumines Arise) as part of Days of Play 2026. Users redeem region-specific download codes in the PS Store to unlock and apply the new avatars to their profiles. The promo runs alongside other Days of Play offers, including sales, PlayStation Tournaments, PS Plus Premium trials, and more.
Sony released free Days of Play 2026 avatars via PS Store download codes across regions (Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa/Oceania, Asia, South Korea, Japan), available now through June 10 as part of Days of Play celebrations that also include a PS Store sale and PS Plus trials.
Sony is giving away six free Saros PS5 avatars (the protagonist Arjun Devraj plus five bosses). To claim, sign in on the Saros PlayStation page, click the “Call the Eclipse” button, scroll to redeem a code, and enter a region-specific code to add the avatars to your PSN. Note that codes may be region-locked.
Meta is reportedly training an AI version of Mark Zuckerberg to respond to employee queries, using his voice and likeness to boost internal engagement, as part of a broader push to embed AI in Meta’s operations, including a CEO agent to speed up access to internal information.
Google is rolling out AI-generated avatars for YouTube Shorts, enabling creators to generate a photorealistic digital likeness from a selfie and voice to appear in videos, with built-in AI disclosures and visible watermarks (SynthID/C2PA). Avatars are created via YouTube's AI Playground or YouTube Create app, can be remixed into Shorts, and can be edited or deleted; accounts must be 18+ and unused avatars auto-delete after three years, with a gradual rollout.
CNN's Hadas Gold tests a pop-up AI dating event hosted by Eva in Manhattan, going on dates with AI avatars John Yoon and Phoebe Callas. She describes one date as stiff, with the avatars misreading cues and even pushing awkward lines like “sweetheart.” The piece notes other outlets’ experiments with AI companions and suggests AI dating still has a long way to go in feeling natural.
PlayStation is celebrating the success of Ghost of Yotei with limited-time free avatar downloads featuring characters from the game, available through region-specific codes. Additionally, a free multiplayer expansion called Ghost of Yotei Legends is planned for 2026, offering new story missions and survival modes, with no current plans for single-player DLC.
Google Vids introduces pre-made AI avatars and new features for workplace video creation, enabling quick, cost-effective videos and potentially disrupting traditional video production jobs, while emphasizing that human creativity remains essential.
Microsoft will discontinue the Xbox Avatar Editor app on January 9, 2025, due to low engagement, affecting Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC users. The original Xbox 360 Avatars will remain available for supported games. Purchases of Avatar items made between November 2023 and the closure date will be refunded. Microsoft emphasizes its focus on other personalization options like dynamic backgrounds and profile themes.
Microsoft is discontinuing the Xbox Avatar Editor app on January 9, 2025, due to low engagement and a shift in focus towards other player experiences. After this date, players will no longer have access to their Avatars or purchased items, but will receive refunds for items bought since November 1, 2023. Users can still edit and use older Xbox Original Avatars through a separate app.
Microsoft is set to remove avatars from Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles by January 9, 2025, due to low engagement. Introduced in 2008 during the Xbox 360 era, avatars were once a prominent feature but have since faded into obscurity. The Xbox Avatar Editor app will also be discontinued, and recent purchases for avatars will be refunded. However, Xbox 360 avatars, known as "Xbox Original Avatars," will remain available in supported games and apps.
Xbox is shutting down its Avatar Editor on January 9, 2025, due to low engagement, and will issue refunds for items purchased after November 1, 2023. While the Xbox 360-era Avatars will still be available, the newer 3D avatars and their marketplace will be discontinued. This decision reflects a shift in focus towards other player experiences, despite the popularity of customizable avatars in modern gaming.