‘We Did This To Support The BDS Boycott’
By Two additional titles join Big Walk in the protest initiative
- by Craig Reid
- 11 hours ago
You might have already come across the news that Celeste, one of the most renowned platformers available, has been withdrawn from the Xbox Store today. It was later noted that TowerFall, another title from the same creator, has been taken down as well.
Both titles remain accessible on PlayStation, Nintendo, and PC marketplaces, and the rationale for their removal from Xbox specifically has now been disclosed.
In a brief update from Celeste co-developer Maddy Thorson, it was stated that halting the sale of their games through the Xbox Store is due to Microsoft’s presence on a boycott list issued by the Palestinian-led campaign BDS, which aims to boycott and divest from Microsoft-owned operations like Xbox.
It doesn’t seem to be a definitive removal for Celeste or Towerfall, indicating that if you possess either title, they should still be visible in your library. Celeste was part of the Games with Gold program long ago and is still viewed as one of the finest platformers in gaming.
BDS was also the movement attributed to why Big Walk has not been released on Xbox hardware. In a statement from House House, they expressed, “We would love for individuals to be able to experience the game on Xbox, but not until Microsoft and/or Xbox are no longer targets of the BDS boycott”.
[source bsky.app]
Craig serves as a Staff Writer and former Video Producer at Pure Xbox, where he reports on the most significant games in the Xbox realm.
