{
  "id": 17119912,
  "title": "Celeste and TowerFall Developer Explains Why Games Were Abruptly Delisted from Xbox",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/celeste-and-towerfall-developer-explains-why-games-were-abruptly",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-29T19:14:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/celeste-and-towerfall-developer-explains-why-games-were-abruptly-delisted-from-xbox"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Celeste and TowerFall, developed by Maddy Thorson, have been removed from Xbox after the developer chose to boycott Microsoft in support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement. The games are no longer available for purchase on the platform, surprising some fans. Thorson's team removed the titles to protest Microsoft's investments and involvement with the Israeli government, as part of the BDS movement which advocates for Palestinian freedom, justice, and equality. Microsoft's targeting of companies involved with the Israeli government has led to other games, like Big Walk, also being delisted from Xbox. House House, the developer of Big Walk, cited the BDS movement's call for a boycott of Microsoft as its reason for not releasing the game on the platform. Both Celeste and TowerFall, available on PlayStation, PC, and Switch, have been out since 2018 and 2013 respectively.",
  "summary": "Celeste and TowerFall have been delisted from Xbox, as the developer has chosen to boycott Microsoft for its involvement and investments with the Israeli government.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}