House House, the developer behind the cooperative walking game Big Walk, has said it kept the game off Xbox to take part in the Palestinian-led BDS boycott of Microsoft, according to The Verge. The game has been popular since its August launch, but Xbox players cannot play it.
In a blog post, House House said the decision follows the BDS movement's call to boycott Microsoft, which was named a priority target in June of last year over contracts with the Israeli military and government. The boycott list includes Xbox consoles, Game Pass subscriptions, Microsoft-owned game franchises, and gaming accessories. Microsoft has also faced employee protests over its Israel ties and has fired staffers who joined pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The studio acknowledged that keeping Big Walk off Xbox conflicts with its goal of having groups of friends play together, and said it understands the disappointment. It said it would welcome an Xbox release once Microsoft and Xbox are no longer BDS boycott targets, adding that it believes coordinated collective action can create meaningful change and that Palestine will one day be free.
Big Walk is still available on Windows through Steam. The Verge asked House House why Windows was not included in the boycott, and the studio has not yet responded.