Big Walk, a co-op puzzle adventure game, hasn't been featured on Xbox since its August launch, and the developers said it was to align with the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement guidelines.
House House, the Australian studio behind the critically acclaimed game, released Big Walk earlier this year on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2, while leaving out Xbox Series X and S. In a statement, the developers explained that the reason is that Xbox’s Microsoft is on the BDS list.
“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,” House House wrote in its statement.
The BDS movement listed Microsoft around June 2025 over its ties to the Israeli military and government, citing the use of Microsoft technology in the surveillance of Palestinians. The boycott call also extends to Microsoft’s Xbox consoles, gaming accessories and other products.
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BDS released a statement online in support of House House’s move and is calling all “games journalists and workers to sign the No Games for Genocide pledge and boycott Microsoft’s Xbox”.
Ethical or performative?
The reactions online have been mixed, with some completely supporting the boycott and applauding the developers for their stance; others aren’t as encouraging, labelling the move as ‘performative’.
One person wrote on X: “If @house_house_ caring that much about palestinians then they should boycott SONY too. SONY literally sold equipment to various militaries including Israel's. Either way they can fudge off with their political nonsense, hope they go under.”
Others pointed out that the developers’ previous game, Untitled Goose Game, is available on Xbox, while Big Walk is available on Steam, a digital distribution platform that allows users to purchase and download PC games. They argued that allowing Microsoft users to access the game through Steam raises questions about the consistency of House House’s boycott stance.
However, purchasing the game through Steam does not generate revenue for Microsoft in the same way that purchasing it through the Xbox would.
It is also worth noting that House House released a statement in 2023 expressing support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.
“An end to this genocide. An end to apartheid. Free Palestine,” the developers wrote.
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