Celeste and TowerFall have delisted from Xbox's digital storefronts to support BDS boycott

Big Walk developer House House revealed earlier this month that their co-op puzzle adventure wouldn't be available for sale on Xbox, as Microsoft's gaming division is a priority target of the Palestinian-led BDS boycott. Microsoft, like other console producers, often takes a loss on hardware sales and recoups the loss through game sales on their digital storefronts, similar to Steam.

Following House House's decision, narrative platformer Celeste and party fighter TowerFall were recently delisted from Xbox. Maddy Thorson of Maddy Makes Games explained on BlueSky that the delisting was done to support the BDS boycott. Microsoft earns a cut from sales through its proprietary digital distribution storefront, so removing critically acclaimed games like Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox effectively reduces that easy money source for the company.

Xbox owners who wish to observe the boycott can purchase used physical copies of the games where available or switch to another platform temporarily.

While this story is primarily about PC Gamer, it's essential to note that the Xbox doesn't exist for many readers. They might not have even seen one up close. The focus is on Chessmaster 9000 played on a second monitor as readers continue to enjoy their gaming experiences. Nevertheless, fans of TowerFall and Celeste can easily find them on other platforms like Steam.