Snapchat Brings Back 2D Bitmoji in Response to User Demand

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Users have been demanding it, and now, Snapchat’s bringing back its old-style 2D Bitmoji characters, providing more ways to present your cartoonish depiction in the app.

As explained by Snap:

“For Snapchatters, Bitmoji isn’t just an avatar. It’s your digital identity, the way you show up with friends, share your moods, and represent yourself online. With Comic Bitmoji, we’re giving you more choice in how you express yourself, whether that’s embracing the latest 3D styles or throwing it back to the look that started it all.”

Which will be welcome news to around 100k Snap users who signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of the original Bitmoji format.

As you may recall, when they were originally launched, Bitmoji characters were essentially comic book format, 2D depictions, which were made popular via Bitstrips, custom comics that enabled you to insert your Bitmoji characters into different scenarios.

Those did really well on Facebook, before Snapchat acquired Bitstrips in 2016, and made them a Snap only feature.

Then in 2021, Snapchat launched 3D Bitmoji, an evolution of the form, which enables more types of interactions with the characters, including digital fashion products.

And those have been popular, with over 2.7 billion Bitmoji avatars created, and 320 million people engaging with them every day.

But some users wanted the old style, comic-like depictions back, so they set up a change.org petition calling for just that.

Which Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel personally responded to yesterday, noting that:

“Over the coming days, Snapchat+ subscribers will be able to turn on Comic Bitmoji - a new style that brings back the charm of classic avatars, while keeping all the benefits of today’s 3D infrastructure. Think of it like a filter for your avatar: the same customization and expressions you love, reimagined to be reminiscent of that iconic comic-inspired look.”

So now, you can flatten out your Bitmoji character once again, making it more comic-like. If you want.

I don’t know, I don’t imagine these will see a heap of use, and 100k users, out of 320 million daily active Bitmoji users, seems like a relatively small amount.

But it’s also a lo-fi update, that likely hasn’t required significant dev investment from Snap. And it might also help to boost Snapchat+ subscriptions, so probably a win-win.

So now, you can re-live the magic of Bitstrips, in the latest version of the format.

Good times for paying Snapchat users.