House House, the Melbourne-based developer behind Big Walk, says it will not release the cooperative game on Xbox Series X|S while Microsoft and/or Xbox remain targets of the Palestinian-led BDS campaign. Big Walk is currently available on PC and PlayStation 5.
The studio said its Xbox decision is intended to support the BDS movement, as first reported by GameSpot. House House said an Xbox version could become possible if Microsoft and/or Xbox are removed from the campaign’s target list.
Microsoft’s BDS status shapes the console decision
BDS has designated Microsoft as a priority target over its contracts involving the Israeli government and military. The campaign’s targeting has also been linked to allegations that the company’s technology has been used in surveillance of Palestinians.
Reports said Microsoft blocked the Israeli government from accessing some cloud-storage and artificial-intelligence systems in the previous year. That development did not remove the company from the BDS list, which House House has made the condition for bringing its game to Microsoft’s console storefront.
The stance matters because platform launches determine who can play a multiplayer title built around groups of friends. Players on Xbox cannot buy the game through their console, while purchases through Steam on Windows can occur without necessarily giving Microsoft an Xbox marketplace share.
BDS backs House House and promotes an industry pledge
The Palestinian BDS movement endorsed the developer’s decision and urged people working across the games industry to sign the No Games for Genocide pledge. Its support places a small independent studio’s platform choice within a broader pressure campaign aimed at technology firms with ties to Israel’s government and military.
House House has not set a date or detailed conditions for a potential Xbox launch beyond a change to the BDS target list. It is also unclear whether Microsoft or Xbox has responded directly, or whether Microsoft will be removed from that list.
This article was produced with AI assistance from multi-source reporting and is published under our editorial standards.
