Melbourne-based developer House House will not release its co-op hit Big Walk on Xbox, citing support for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
“We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on Xbox, in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS movement’s call to boycott Microsoft, and their designation of Microsoft Games (and Xbox) as a priority boycott target,” the developer wrote in a statement.
“It has always been our intention for Big Walk to be played by groups of friends, and we know that keeping the game off Xbox runs counter to those intentions. This decision means that some people will miss out on playing Big Walk with their friends, and we understand the disappointment we’re causing. We are disappointed too.”
It continued: “We would love for people to be able to play the game on Xbox, but not until Microsoft and/or Xbox have been removed as BDS boycott targets. We’ve made this decision with the belief that meaningful change can be made in the world, that coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests, and that one day, Palestine will be free. Thank you for your understanding.”
House House is not the only developer boycotting Xbox and Microsoft.
Dan Dilorio, developer of Luck be a Landlord, asked players not to purchase the game on Xbox and announced plans to donate $10,000 to The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund “to (hopefully) offset the revenue the game has generated for Microsoft.”
Speculative Agency, developer of All Will Rise, expressed interest in joining the No Games for Genocide campaign, which would require returning some Microsoft funding received through “a developer acceleration programme deal.”
“We would have to ask Microsoft to let us break our contract and somehow make up the shortfall of funds at a time where funding is extremely difficult to come by in the industry,” it said in a statement shared with PC Gamer.
“Also we would be giving up the opportunity to reach the large audience of players on Xbox, increasing our financial risk and decreasing our potential player pool. The urgency of No Games for Genocide and its value as a growing movement that has the potential to pressure Microsoft to cease its complicity with Israeli genocide won out.”
Indie developer Ice Water removed Tenderfoot Tactics from Xbox in support of the BDS movement. “We hope that the broader community will join in the pressure campaign and fight for an end to occupation and apartheid in Palestine and across the world.”
Arkane Studios STJV union members also published an open letter addressed to the heads of the studio, Zenimax, Microsoft, and Microsoft Gaming, demanding that Microsoft stop supporting Israel.
The BDS movement started in April 2025 and targeted Microsoft to “end its complicity in Israel’s genocide, occupation, and apartheid against Palestinians.”
After the announcement, over 2,000 Microsoft workers signed the No Azure for Apartheid petition, which demanded the company conduct “a third-party independent audit of our contract, services and product to make sure they are not involved in any human rights violation, be it in Gaza, or elsewhere.”
In May 2025, Microsoft conducted an internal review. While it acknowledged it provides the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMOD) with “software, professional services, Azure cloud and AI services,” it claimed its review found “no evidence to date” that these technologies “have been used to target or harm people” in the ongoing Gaza conflict.