Avatars were the only thing untouched since EVE Online launched back in 2003. Ships, gates and many other things were changed over time with the evolving of the game. CCP thinks it’s time to change the look for your character and, for that, a new character creator feature will come with the next expansion, Incursion, set to launch in November 2010. You’ll be able to try this new feature though in Singularity, the test server, in a few days.
Changing the character creator is a huge work. Not only graphics but even background story considerations for every race and class must be taken, but I think a more modern look for your EVE Online characters is important and maybe prepares the game for the upcoming Incarna, next year.
Very good work from CCP, bringing this new character creator for EVE Online. For the full notes, check this dev blog.