In an interview with Eurogamer, Rare's lead artist Lee Musgrave revealed that work on Avatars was done "before Miis were part of the gaming scene" and were only decided to be a part of the New Xbox Experience after Microsoft saw concepts of the lil' customizable characters.
"Microsoft did not turn up one day in a speeding car and say, 'They've got Miis - do something!' It wasn't like that at all," says Musgrave, making sure to drive home the point that similarities between Avatars and Nintendo's Miis is purely coincidental. So, yeah ... take that Miis! You aren't being copied on purpose, you're just being copied coincidentally. Yeah!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
9-11-2008 @ 3:51PM
ryan said...
i believe em. i remember that elf chick from Kameo.
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9-11-2008 @ 3:53PM
Moedean said...
Do people even care about this?
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9-11-2008 @ 4:28PM
RedSonRising said...
yes, people do care because m$ needs to reach out beyond the HC crowd to make money..
even though im not a huge fan of Avatars i am interested because if they botch the launch early adopters wont like them.. its more important than continued halo 3 support IMO; halo fans arent out buying more 360s..
m$ cant afford anymore mistakes this generation (RROD, Hitachi drive failures, scratched discs, HD-dvd) and another misstep could jeopardize an xbox 720 from ever happening..
9-11-2008 @ 4:01PM
Neuromancer said...
By the ghost of Uncle Curtis!
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9-11-2008 @ 4:03PM
Neil said...
If its true then its truly sad how slow these guys are....and as Neuromancer said, does anyone really care about them?
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9-11-2008 @ 4:12PM
Mr Khan said...
I kinda believe Rare on this, since their ideas have always paralelled Nintendo's without actively "copying" them
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9-11-2008 @ 10:58PM
Solar said...
They probably did work on Avatars prior to Nintendo coming out with Miis. But I think it is pretty safe to say that Nintendo's success is why Rare's work was resurrected and actually brought to market.
9-11-2008 @ 4:13PM
Bluestreak2 said...
I don't even see why we would want either Mii's or Avatars. The Mii was only really used in that sports game and a few others but largely is forgotten once the wii finally got 3 games worth playing. And the 360 has had like 3 years of success without these Avatars, what's the point of adding them in now?
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9-11-2008 @ 4:13PM
Doug said...
And Sony copied Xbox achievements with trophies... and on and on... if it works, it works.
The question is, does it work. We'll know soon.
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9-11-2008 @ 4:16PM
RedSonRising said...
im getting used to these Avatars as they get closer to reality.. after playing soul calibur 4 primarily for the customizing options (i only played the single player to unlock more stuff to make more characters), i can see how the Avatars could be interesting..
i really hope they find a way to use my old gamerpics with the new Avatars.. if i cant use any of my old gamerpics as shirts or jackets for example, im going to be very disappointed.. \
im not planning to purchase clothes for my Avatar either (only purchased a few gamerpics) and if new games dont have unlockable clothes or accessories my Avatar might end up neglected and (possibly) nekkid
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9-13-2008 @ 1:30AM
GWHawk said...
You will be able to print your gamerpics on T-shirts
9-11-2008 @ 4:33PM
tommy said...
mii have been in the works when the NES came out so there is no way avatars cam first
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9-11-2008 @ 4:44PM
ryan said...
i think the Egyptians invented Miis first actually.
9-11-2008 @ 4:53PM
DBoyFlex said...
I thought Homo Erectus had an avatar. What about Lucy?
9-11-2008 @ 4:58PM
zourskittles said...
I heard Adam and Eve were really Miis.
9-11-2008 @ 7:22PM
JerkfacedFed said...
@tommy go suck a dick fanboy. even if ms copied it, its better now cuz its standardized across all new games.
9-11-2008 @ 4:38PM
joeybeast said...
My avatar better be able to bend air.
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9-11-2008 @ 6:26PM
LeMuRfArT said...
mine better be able to bend all elements
9-11-2008 @ 4:52PM
DBoyFlex said...
I guess this is ok. I don't really care if they copied or not. I am just stoked for the update. I am tired of the dashboard and want to install games on my HDD. Sweet. Can't wait. Oh, are they gonna have something where our avatars are gonna live in a community and live in a house and what not? Kinda like Sims? That would be cool.
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9-11-2008 @ 5:19PM
Haohmaru said...
Haha, that sounds a lot like Home, too. >.>