The Xbox One Is Getting Wheelchair Avatars For Disabled Gamers

The news was revealed after someone tweeted the idea.
Nick Adams / Reuters

Xbox staff have tweeted draft images of wheelchair options for avatars after gamers suggested the idea on Twitter.

Twitter user Seamus Blackley, who describes himself as a games designer in his bio, suggested the idea in a tweet earlier this week:

Hey @XboxP3 I'm pretty serious-- depending on how skeletons are done on avatars, wheelchairs might be relatively simple and the #rightthing

— Seamus Blackley (@SeamusBlackley) July 3, 2016

One tweeter suggested Blackley set up a petition to prove the idea had traction with Xbox’s fanbase:

@SeamusBlackley Have you considered creating a petition? It's something is definitely promote on my website/ something people would get with

— Benjamin Wareing (@goldennike11) July 3, 2016

But before Seamus even had a chance to respond, Xbox chief Phil Spencer chipped in, saying the company was considering the idea already and that there was no need for a petition:

@goldennike11 @SeamusBlackley No petition needed, we hear you. This is something that we've already looked at, not far off.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 4, 2016

Just the next day Mike YBarra, Xbox’s director of program management, tweeted a pretty awesome sneak peak of the design:

@XboxP3 @goldennike11 @SeamusBlackley Sneak peek... 😀 pic.twitter.com/szoTUGR6ef

— ♏️ike Ybarra (@XboxQwik) July 5, 2016

There’s no word yet on when the avatars will be released to the public but the move went down well with Twitter users who lined up to praise the move.

The initiative will make Xbox the first major gaming platform to incorporate disabled avatars into its service.

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