Wednesday, February 15, 2023
By: Matthew Doucette
Just a short blog note that Matthew Doucette has officially become an Xbox Ambassador Community Champion! He was invited in from the more prestigeous Xbox MVP program, upon its closing.
A Bit of History
Xbox Ambassadors are a broad community role, while Xbox Ambassador Community Champions are much more selective recognition within that ecosystem:
Xbox Ambassador
An Xbox Ambassador was a member of Microsoft’s large, volunteer Xbox community program. Ambassadors were ordinary Xbox players who chose to participate in activities intended to make the Xbox community more welcoming, helpful, and inclusive.
In later years, Ambassadors could participate in things such as community playdates, the Xbox Community Game Club, surveys, community discussions, accessibility activities, and various missions or quests. Participation earned Ambassador XP, levels, badges, sweepstakes entries, and other rewards. Microsoft described the common thread among Ambassadors as a "passion for community" and making gaming enjoyable for everyone.
It was a large membership program. At one point the program had hundreds of thousands of members; an archived community history records more than 325,000 Xbox Ambassadors by February 2021.
Xbox Ambassador Community Champion
An Xbox Ambassador Community Champion is a selected and recognized member of the Ambassador community who had demonstrated an exceptional level of community involvement and leadership. It was not tied to reaching a particular XP level within the Xbox Ambassador program.
Community Champions were recognized for going above and beyond in supporting the Xbox community.
Candidates could be nominated by other members of the community, after which Xbox staff selected the recipients. Champions received special recognition, including a dedicated Xbox Community Champion profile badge, and in some cases physical recognition or merchandise.
Community Champions, like MVPs, would often work directly with Xbox teams on NDA work.
Summary
The general idea is to create an inclusive community where “gaming is for everyone.”
- Xbox Ambassador = participant in Microsoft's large volunteer Xbox community program.
- Xbox Ambassador Community Champion = an Xbox Ambassador specifically selected and recognized by Xbox for exceptional community leadership and contributions, and chosen to work directly with Xbox.
Community Champion is a distinction or elevated role within the Ambassador community, moreso than a higher Ambassador “level.”
2026-AUG-20 UPDATE: Xbox Ambassador vs. Xbox Ambassador Community Champion vs. Xbox Community Champion
Microsoft ended the Xbox Ambassadors program on October 15, 2024, folding many of its principles and activities into Xbox's broader community programs. So, the Xbox Ambassador role is gone, but Community Champion itself is not.
When Microsoft closed Xbox Ambassadors in October 2024, it evolved the Ambassador Community Champion program into the standalone Xbox Community Champions program. Xbox still maintains an official Community Champions page today. Microsoft currently defines them as a worldwide group of trusted community members recognized by Xbox for leading by example, advocating for gamers in discussions with Xbox staff, and making positive contributions to gaming and real-world communities.
2026-AUG-20 UPDATE: Timeline
Xbox Ambassador
- broad volunteer community program
- ended October 15, 2024.
Xbox Ambassador Community Champion
- selective Community Champion role/recognition *within the Xbox Ambassadors program
- this particular title effectively ended with the Ambassador program in 2024.
Xbox Community Champion
- successor to the Ambassador Community Champion role
- continues independently after the Ambassador program's closure.
That is all.
About the Author: I am Matthew Doucette of Xona Games, an award-winning indie game studio that I founded with my twin brother. We make intensified arcade-style retro games. Our business, our games, our technology, and we as competitive gamers have won prestigious awards and received worldwide press. Our business has won $190,000 in contests. Our games have ranked from #1 in Canada to #1 in Japan, have become #1 best sellers in multiple countries, have won game contests, and have held 3 of the top 5 rated spots in Japan of all Xbox LIVE indie games. Our game engines have been awarded for technical excellence. And we, the developers, have placed #1 in competitive gaming competitions -- relating to the games we make. Read about our story, our awards, our games, and view our blog.