Rare: Work on Avatars done 'before Miis were part of the gaming scene'

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!