Big Walk Is Skipping Xbox as Part of the Pro-Palestinian BDS Boycott
Developer House House said it won't release the game on Xbox until Microsoft is removed as a priority target by BDS
Australian indie developer House House has announced that its acclaimed co-op adventure Big Walk will not be released on Xbox due to the company's support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. Microsoft, the owner of Xbox, is a priority boycott target for BDS, which labels it as a significant contributor to Israel's illegal apartheid regime and the ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
House House explained that while they intended for Big Walk to be experienced by groups of friends, removing it from Xbox runs counter to their goals. The decision has disappointed many, as the game is highly acclaimed and a leading contender for end-of-year awards. House House hopes that one day Palestine will be free and believes that coordinated collective action can confront powerful interests.
Microsoft provides services to the Israeli government and military, including AI and cloud services, which have been targeted by the BDS movement. In September 2025, Microsoft reportedly cut off Israel's access to cloud technology used in mass surveillance of Palestinians. Big Walk, House House's follow-up to the popular Untitled Goose Game, is a multiplayer adventure where friends control stick figures to explore a natural landscape and solve puzzles.
It is one of the best-reviewed games of 2026, but its absence from Xbox is an explicit consequence of the boycott.
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