Kiss Your XBLA Avatar Guns Goodbye

[vansau]

Kiss Your XBLA Avatar Guns Goodbye

Microsoft's New Year's resolution is apparently to remove all "gun-like" items from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

If you've been meaning to add some firepower to your Xbox Live Avatar's style, I've got some bad news: You've only got a little time left to buy any "gun-like avatar items" before they disappear from the XBLA Marketplace forever. The news comes from Epic Games, whose Lancer and Hammerburst items are popular Avatar items.

According to Epic's community manager Will Kinsler:

Heads up! Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, the Lancer and Hammerburst avatar items will no longer be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. If you've purchased the items prior to Jan. 1, you will be able to keep them. A new policy goes into effect for all gun-like avatar items on the Marketplace, so get them while they're hot.

Microsoft has yet to confirm (and explain the rationale behind) this new policy. Still, let's be honest about this: Removing gun-like avatar items sounds ridiculous. They're completely decorative, so it makes absolutely no sense as to why anyone would feel it's necessary to get rid of them.

Oh, well, whatever. At least we can still buy lightsabers for our avatars to rock out with.

Source: Joystiq

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[AMMO Kid]

I wonder if the people who bought those will be mad...

 

[RaNDM G]

This makes sense. One of the first things Microsoft said with avatar support was that they wouldn't sell guns for your avatar. I'm a little surprised they let Rare and Epic release these.

Link.

 

[Nouw]

I wonder if the people who bought those will be mad...

I don't think they will since you get to keep them.

 

[Stormz]

Why? Is it some sort of Censorship or something? Seems really pointless considering 90% of xbox games are generic shooters.

 

[Doclector]

I can see why having a manical school shooter portrayed onto a heavily armored 3D persona, looking comically threatening and holding a ridiculously oversized assault rifle would give anti-video game enthusiasts the chance to say:

"I TOLD YOU BRO

I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE VIDEO GAMES

IT KEEPS HAPPENING"

Gotta watch out for those stairs bro.

If this isn't a marketing thing, then it's massively stupid. I mean...C'mon. For one thing, they are fake goddamn guns. A virtual lancer is even less of a threat than a goddamn nerf gun. Even if we're talking about psychological effects, the nerf is still a bigger threat. Hell, the lancer is all over the cases of the games, and on advertisements on the marketplace. It's flawed logic at it's finest, and what's more, I bet that's why there isn't a proton pack avatar prop, and that is truly a crime.

 

[supernovashadow]

This makes sense. One of the first things Microsoft said with avatar support was that they wouldn't sell guns for your avatar. I'm a little surprised they let Rare and Epic release these.

Yeah, I thought the same thing which is why I was confused when guns started showing up recently. Still, it's dumb to not allow your avatar to have them when your in game avatar can have and kill people with them. If it's an underage thing I don't know why they can't restrict them like they restrict videos and games for minor accounts.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Because obviously these cartoony replicas of firearms are what inspired (insert name of next crazy school-shooter maniac here).

 

[lacktheknack]

If it was a censorship thing, they wouldn't let the users keep the guns post-purchase...

I'm gonna wait for an official statement from Microsoft.

 

[dystopiaINC]

this sort of thing annoys me somewhat, i would love it if the avatar market have cool iconic weapons from games, they have props and all that so why not a say a Hidden blade from AC:R? a samurai sword with Ninja Gaiden 3? ray gun in black ops? i would be all over that stuff. i collect them in real life, would love one on my avatar.

in a similar vein ubiworkshop.com seem to be like this, from what i heard, the guy who built the best hidden blade replica I've ever seen has been trying to sell it to them so they can produce and sell them with their other assassins creed items, but apparently they refuse on the grounds that they don't what to sell any form of weapon. plastic game replica or not.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ammnra/6085068690/in/photostream

 

[Double A]

I think they're doing this to ramp up sales of these things. They know gamers like them, so if they threaten to can them and give gamers some time to buy them, while allowing you to keep them if bought before the first, they'll rake in quite a bit of dosh.



But that's just my own conspiracy theory.

I have never bought an avatar item, but as soon as I saw this, I thought "MUST BUY LANCER."

Then I realized that's exactly what the giant space crabs wanted, so the only people getting my money this holiday season are Valve and whoever Valve gives my money to.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

If it was a censorship thing, they wouldn't let the users keep the guns post-purchase...

I'm gonna wait for an official statement from Microsoft.

I'm curious to see what they have to say as well...

 

[Link XL1]

Why? Is it some sort of Censorship or something? Seems really pointless considering 90% of xbox games are generic shooters.

thats cute, you tried to sneak some trolling but no one cares

 

[TimeLord]

Oh, well, whatever. At least we can still buy lightsabers for our avatars to rock out with.

When I first saw the title for this article, my first thought was about Lightsabers!

Yeah, as long as my avatar's Lightsaber is safe then I am indifferent about this news.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Why? Is it some sort of Censorship or something? Seems really pointless considering 90% of xbox games are generic shooters.

thats cute, you tried to sneak some trolling but no one cares

Not trolling but a hilarious parody of trolling, because "Stormz" does not want to have a warning.

 

[Reaper195]

Luckily, I never paid any attention to the Avatar system, since I spent all my time on the 360 playing games, not fucking around with some Mii rip-off that serves no purpose bar "Lol, look what I spent money on!"