Coming this January, Xbox Live will be removing all of the guns from avatars for good. The news comes from the Epic Games’ community manager, and for good reason. The announcement was bundled with the service announcement that if Gears fans haven’t picked up the Lancer or Hammerburst props, they better get on it now.
The new policy, at its core, does away with the sale of “gun-like” items on the Xbox Live Marketplace. It doesn’t actually remove the purchased props from avatars that already purchased them, or ban equipping them. After the new year, however, you won’t be able to add anymore gun props to any of your avatars, so you’ll want to grab some Microsoft Points and do so while you can.
We don’t exactly know why Microsoft has made this decision, and we’re still waiting on their word. The props aren’t exactly offensive, and they add a little bit of flair to player avatars. They’re also a great way to show your pride for whatever game they’re from. The bottom line here, is to get strapped while you can.