Independent developer House House confirmed on October 15, 2026, that co-op adventure Big Walk will not release on Xbox Series X/S consoles. The Melbourne studio explained that the choice follows a call from the Palestinian-led BDS movement to boycott Microsoft and its gaming division [1]. The cooperative title launched in August on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Mac, but fans hoping for a Big Walk Xbox version won’t see it arrive anytime soon [2].
Studio Halts Big Walk Xbox Release
When Big Walk debuted in August, the cooperative walking adventure found an audience fast on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and Mac. The title sold one million copies in less than a week. That left Xbox Series X/S as the lone console missing from the launch lineup [1].
House House answered player requests with an official statement posted to social media and the game’s website, explaining that it skipped the console intentionally [4]. The team pointed to the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) campaign, which designated Microsoft Games and Xbox as targets for a boycott. “We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on Xbox, in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement call to boycott Microsoft, and their designation of Microsoft Games (and Xbox) as a priority boycott target,” the developers wrote. The studio said that keeping the game off Microsoft hardware disappointed players who wanted to explore the puzzle island with their friends, but it chose to follow the boycott call [1].
The creators explained that their choice conflicted with their goal of bringing groups of friends together through proximity voice chat [2]. “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,” House House said. The studio added that it would love to see people play on the system, but that won’t happen until Microsoft and Xbox are removed from the campaign’s list [1]. It’s a stance that puts solidarity above console sales [5].
BDS Campaign Targets Microsoft Cloud and Gaming
The BDS movement formed in 2005 as an international campaign modeled on the South African anti-apartheid struggle. It seeks to pressure Israel into following international law, arguing that Palestinian citizens face discrimination and that refugees are denied the right to return home. Campaign organizers say Israel has been noncompliant with international legal standards since 1948 [1].
The campaign named Microsoft as a boycott target after examining how its cloud infrastructure connects with the Israeli government and military. BDS organizers stated that Microsoft provides Azure cloud storage and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli military, alleging those tools aid operations involving 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza [1]. A report stated that the military used customized subsets of Azure to store intercepted telecommunications data from Gaza and the West Bank [5]. EU member states Ireland, Slovenia, and Spain recognize the situation as genocide, though the United States and Israel oppose that view. Those political developments led activists to call for boycotts of the tech giant’s consumer services [2].
Because Microsoft owns Xbox, the boycott explicitly encompasses its entire gaming catalog and hardware line. The campaign asks players to cancel Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, avoid Xbox-branded headsets and consoles, and stop buying games published by Microsoft studios. That boycott list extends to popular titles like Minecraft, Candy Crush, and Call of Duty. Organizers argue that consumer spending on gaming feeds back into the parent firm’s balance sheet, so skipping game purchases forms part of the economic pressure [1].
Independent Developers Join the Xbox Boycott
House House isn’t the only independent team taking steps to boycott Microsoft platforms. Dan DiIorio, creator of roguelike deckbuilder Luck be a Landlord, urged players not to buy his game on Xbox storefronts. DiIorio pledged to donate $10,000 to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund to offset the sales his release generated for Microsoft [3].
Other studios chose to withdraw games or turn down funding deals to protest Microsoft’s ties. Speculative Agency, the studio developing All Will Rise, joined the No Games for Genocide campaign, even though doing so meant giving up a spot in Microsoft’s developer acceleration program and returning financial backing. Indie team Ice Water removed strategy game Tenderfoot Tactics from Xbox systems to show support for Palestine. Designer badru said the studio hoped the wider gaming community would join the pressure campaign to oppose occupation and apartheid. These moves show small teams accepting financial losses to make a political statement [3].
Walking away from Xbox can strain small studios because console distribution offers a key path to find players and sustain project budgets. Speculative Agency said that walking away increased financial risk, but the urgency of the movement outweighed the benefits of reaching a larger console player base. The choice arrives as console publishers face questions over platform policies, echoing issues seen during policy updates for Activision and Bethesda titles on Xbox. For these creators, standing with Palestine mattered more than platform convenience [3].
Microsoft Worker Petitions and Company Defense
Criticism over Microsoft’s government ties also emerged from inside the company itself. More than 2,000 workers signed the No Azure for Apartheid petition, asking the company to conduct an independent review of its products and contracts. At Arkane Studios, members of the STJV union published an open letter demanding that the firm stop supporting Israel [3].
Microsoft conducted a company review in May 2025 regarding its work with the Israel Ministry of Defence. The company acknowledged supplying software, cloud hosting, and AI tools to the ministry, but stated that its inquiry found “no evidence to date” that those systems had been used to harm civilians in Gaza [3]. Microsoft also pointed out that it previously disabled access to certain cloud storage tools for Israeli agencies when concerns arose over surveillance [4]. Still, workers argued that reviews conducted by management lack independence and fail to address broader ethical responsibilities in wartime. The employee petition urged third-party scrutiny to ensure compliance with human rights [3].
Dissent led to friction between management and employees at Microsoft offices. Microsoft fired workers who staged pro-Palestine demonstrations at company sites, drawing criticism from labor advocates [7]. Reports in May indicated the firm was severing ties with select personnel in Israel as controversy mounted [4]. Despite those actions, the BDS movement maintained its boycott designation, noting that Microsoft’s 34 years of business with the Israeli military make Xbox and cloud products ongoing targets for collective protest [1].
Future Prospects for Big Walk on Xbox
Political engagement isn’t new for House House, a team that built its reputation with the mischievous hit Untitled Goose Game. Based in Melbourne, the studio has openly backed Palestinian causes since at least 2023. The developers also support the Pay the Rent initiative by giving a minimum of one percent of studio earnings to Indigenous groups in restitution for creating games on Wurundjeri land [6].
One question players raised is why Big Walk remains playable on Windows through Steam while skipping Xbox hardware. The Verge reached out to House House to ask why Windows was not included in the boycott, though the studio hasn’t replied to that inquiry. For PC gamers, downloading the title through Steam offers access to the puzzle island, while console players on Xbox Series X/S remain locked out. It shows the uneven boundaries of boycotting a tech conglomerate whose software touches both open computers and closed consoles. PC storefronts operate outside the closed console ecosystem, letting developers sell software without entering direct publishing agreements with Microsoft [7].
For now, bringing Big Walk to Xbox depends on whether Microsoft resolves its dispute with the BDS movement. The studio concluded its public announcement by expressing hope for long-term political change: “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”. Unless Microsoft cuts ties with the Israeli military or the boycott campaign changes its target list, Xbox players won’t be joining the walk [1].
- ONLINE NEWS LeBlanc, W. (2026, October 15). House House chose not to put Big Walk on Xbox in accordance with Palestinian-led BDS boycott against Microsoft games. Game Informer. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Barovic, A. (2026, October 15). Big Walk developer House House won’t release the game on Xbox because of a Palestine-led Microsoft boycott. Destructoid. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS McEvoy, S. (2026, October 15). House House will not release Big Walk on Xbox in support of pro-Palestinian BDS campaign. GamesIndustry.biz. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Shepard, K. (2026, October 15). Big Walk devs say the game won’t come to Xbox in accordance with the BDS boycott. Kotaku. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Gould, E. (2026, October 15). Big Walk devs explain why it isn’t on Xbox and likely never will be. PC Gamer. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Archer, J. (2026, October 15). Big Walk devs House House announce support for BDS Microsoft boycott, say the co-op puzzler isn’t coming to Xbox. Rock Paper Shotgun. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Weatherbed, J. (2026, October 15). Big Walk skipped Xbox to boycott Microsoft’s involvement with Israel. The Verge. [Article Link]
