Mattrick adamant he invented avatars

By Robert Purchese Published 10 November, 2008

Wants to send rival firm "a card and a cake".

Microsoft boss Don Mattrick still believes he was the very first person to invent controllable 3D human avatars.

"I'm claiming to have invented avatars! I did 4D Sports Boxing! Do you know what 4D Boxing was? Hey, you should be writing this! That was me," Mattrick told Official Xbox Magazine.

"C'mon! It's human, it's in 3D, it has a face - it was genuinely the first time there was something human-shaped in 3D! Look it up!

"It was a starting point! Come on, we were the first guys to do it," he went on. "And hey, I worked at EA and helped pushed the concept with a few games you might have heard of - this one called The Sims - you ever hear of that? That had a few sort of 3D characters in it! Then a little one called Ultima Online, know that one?"

Of course, Mattrick has rattled-off claims like this before, having "put us right" on the issue at E3 after we suggested Microsoft may be copying another rather well known platform holder with the brand new Xbox Live avatars.

Furthermore, Mattrick is confident Microsoft has been the clear online winner in this generation.

"Microsoft started out with the idea of identity, Achievements and billing. It was funny, actually. There's one competitor, who I won't name, that I think we should send a card and a cake, because they're only just getting to where we were in 2002," said Mattrick. "We're the ones who really brought innovation to the online space."

The New Xbox Experience, of which the avatars are a part, is due to launch worldwide on 19th November.

Head over to our New Xbox Experience page to find out much more about the Xbox Live redesign.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Cider-X #1 3 years ago

    It was an excellent boxing game on the Amiga, good memories.

  • seasidebaz #2 3 years ago

    So Microsoft brought BILLING to the online space?

    That's hardly worth shouting about... lol

  • Xerx3s #3 3 years ago

    Oh dear.

    /umbrella up

  • Widge #4 3 years ago

    Next up "Mattrick - I invented the question mark"

  • Pirotic #5 3 years ago

    It's one of those ideas which has probably existed ever since computer games existed, trying to say you invited such a basic and obvious concept is rather pathetic, maybe they implemented it first but come on, that's still nothing major to brag about. Plus what makes Mii's work is that they are platform specific rather than game specific and so work across multiple titles, that's something Nintendo did first, and something MS are blatantly ripping off.

    Didn't they also say they invented the motion controller for games? but it was only ever a prototype, nobody ever saw it outside of Microsoft and it never made it to retail? and.. they don't think that any other company might of done the exact same thing prior to them.

    Weirdness

  • Fubdub #6 3 years ago

    Does he really speak like that, or has it been spiced up to make it more interesting to read? If he really speaks like that he comes of as some kinda forum wanker...

  • the_dudefather #7 3 years ago

    Peter Molyneux invented dogs

  • JYM60 #8 3 years ago

    Wonder what new idea MS/Mattrick inventor of everything will have to squeeze money out of people for after this avatar crap.

  • Les #9 3 years ago

    "Does he really speak like that, or has it been spiced up to make it more interesting to read? If he really speaks like that he comes of as some kinda forum wanker..."

    +1. What a twat.

  • miiiguel #10 3 years ago

    Well, I've read this line before, here, but now is my turn:
    "Slow news, today ?"

    I mean, I must have read this almost a month ago, when OXM November issue came out. Printed magazine ?! In Lisbon..., not exactly the city most updated in the world, videogame-wise...

    edit: and now I understand how a few lines taken out of context can sound. One should read the entire interview. He's trying to be funny.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/08 @ 09:36

  • hoster #11 3 years ago

    "4D Boxing?

    So you boxed in four dimensions? Your punches crossed into the 4th dimension? Shiiiiiiiit."

    Well as Douglas Adams taught us, the fourth dimension is time, so not really that big a deal really, the fifth dimension is probability, and you really want to stay away from dimensions 9-13.

  • Slamhound #12 3 years ago

    "Mister Mattrick, I have Neal Stephenson on the line."
    "Oh? What does he want?"
    "He said he wants to shit you up proper."

  • Gnort #13 3 years ago

    Al Gore invented the internet.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #14 3 years ago

    As far I was aware, he was being sarcastic and trying to prove a point. (This time at least)

    I couldn't give a shit about the never ending regressive argument about who invented/innovated/popularised something.

    Can't you see it's pointless?

  • miiiguel #15 3 years ago

    He was picking on the interviewer who said everyone was saying Nintendo invented the Avatars.
    We do (I sometimes also do this shit) look silly when we make assumptions based oon partial information.

    And the 4D-gaming, you should know who joke was aimed at, don't you?
    "Next-gen starts when we say so"
    "This is 4D gaming", and... whatnot...
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/08 @ 09:48

  • Les #16 3 years ago

    "As far I was aware, he was being sarcastic and trying to prove a point."

    Or he's just being a dick and another example of an executive that makes sure that video gaming will stay an insecure-teenage-boy-thing in the eyes of the masses for at least another decade...

  • miiiguel #17 3 years ago

    I'm glad we have Les to show us the way (to the next whyskey bar...).

  • OnlyMe #18 3 years ago

    Oh, don't ask why. Oh, don't ask why.

  • ChrisOTR #19 3 years ago

    Setting aside his argument, that was a HELL of a good game for the time.

  • IronCladChicken #20 3 years ago

    @miiiguel
    4D Boxing was a real game - released back in the early ninties.

  • miiiguel #21 3 years ago

    I know that, but after the silly questions/answers which the interview got stuck into, he said he could also say he invented 4D. Read the interview.

    The Editor even makes a remark, saying they got stuck in that who invented what sillyness.

  • GordonCaladan #22 3 years ago

    it was genuinely the first time there was something human-shaped in 3D

    Polykleitos respectfully disagrees.

  • FaceOmeter #23 3 years ago

    "We're the ones who really brought innovation to the online space."

    The more I read this shit the more I want to just stick all my games in the bin. Schoolkids.

  • FooAtari #24 3 years ago

    So one company has ripped off another companies idea that was successful. Happens all the time, whats the big deal.

  • rowsdower #25 3 years ago

    What is this article about? Terrifically slow news day? I read that July 24th interview you guys linked to and he said the exact same things there, almost word for word. Why are you bothering to report this? You already had full coverage with the guy back in July so this is a non-story; You've already covered it better.

  • Retroid #26 3 years ago

    There was a chat thingy with avatars on the C64. So ner.

    Wasn't 3D though, obviously.

  • sneetch #27 3 years ago

    He was taking the piss. Read the interview (good one Rob, you stripped the tone out nicely it's almost as if you wanted to cause controversy to give the ZOMGers something to go off into a half-cocked rant about, but no, that couldn't be. Slow day?)

    Here's an excerpt:

    "John Schappert: Avatars - we're not claiming to have invented avatars, but they're an extension of our Gamer card, our Gamertag, our...

    DM: I'm claiming to have invented avatars! I did 4D Sports Boxing! Do you know what 4D Boxing was? Hey, you should be writing this! That was me.

    We know what 4D Sports Boxing was. It was published by Infogrames, wasn't it?

    DM: Accolade was the first to publish it, and Infogrames published it in Europe. But write this down! "Don Mattrick invented avatars for the industry.

    Does creating 4D Sports Boxing really count as "inventing avatars", Don?

    DM: C'mon! It's human, it's in 3D, it has a face... it was genuinely the first time there was something human-shaped in 3D! Look it up!

    [We looked it up, and 4D Sports Boxing was developed by Don Mattrick's company Distinctive Software in 1991. And as far as we can tell, it's at least the first game to feature controllable humanoid figures in 3D. So we guess Don Mattrick did invent avatars for the industry! Ahem.]"

    The "ahem" at the end is pretty telling: it implies that the whole exchange was a bit tongue-in-cheek. Imagine how that would have been said, what's more likely that he said it jokingly or that he said it in all earnestness?

    The idea that Nintendo somehow "own" the concept of the avatar is frankly ridiculous. Their decision to create one avatar (one identity) that could be used across the whole range of Wii games was a good one for developers on a budget, although it's not something many non-Nintendo Wii games use, but it's the application of an invention not an invention, it's like me claiming I invented something amazing just because I wear my underwear as a hat (hey, it's cold out there). Especially as Xbox, PS3, PC and UNIX users have been wearing their underwear as hats (so to speak) for as long as profiles and accounts have existed. The mii avatars are pretty much just glorified 3D icons and as anyone who has had to fiddle about with friend codes can tell you Nintendo have a long way to go with their avatar system (allowing you to create a profile that you can attach your avatar to would be a good start).

    On a related note; I invented time and cheese (I only invented time so I could make cheese, tbh).

    Edit: "I invented the time" that makes no sense.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/08 @ 11:49

  • Marshall2008 #28 3 years ago

    The term 'Avatar' was used as far back as 1985 in ultima Online. I was going to post that he was full of crap until i found out that the first 3D 'Avatar like' characters in games WERE in 4D Boxing. So I suppose credit where credit is due.

    Edited by 3 at 10/11/08 @ 11:57

  • udat #29 3 years ago

    4d sports boxing was fucking great as well. I loved that game.

  • schnide #30 3 years ago

    Avatars have been around for years, but the point is that Microsoft shamelessly nicked the design of the avatars that Nintendo use. That's all there is to it.

  • miiiguel #31 3 years ago

    I think about that "who invented what" every night, befeore I go to bed. I always think I should have a bought a Ford, I mean... the dudes invented the car, I shouldn't have bought a VW.

    And they "shamelessly" stole the idea...

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #32 3 years ago

    "Or he's just being a dick and another example of an executive that makes sure that video gaming will stay an insecure-teenage-boy-thing in the eyes of the masses for at least another decade..."

    Read the full comments he made Les, it was obvious when put into context that he was doing it in a nudge nudge wink wink sort of way.

    He's still a dick regardless, but he didn't say what he said the way you think he did.

  • VandelayIndustries #33 3 years ago

    Still sore over the "mii too" comments?

    Oh, and I invented Latex : )

  • IronCladChicken #34 3 years ago

    @Marshall2008
    The word 'Avatar' has existed since before computers where invented