House House, the Melbourne studio behind Big Walk and Untitled Goose Game, said on October 15 that it will not release Big Walk on Xbox, citing the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement's call to boycott Microsoft, according to a statement reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Polygon, Rock Paper Shotgun and Eurogamer.
"We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on Xbox, in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS movement's call to boycott Microsoft, and their designation of Microsoft Games (and Xbox) as a priority boycott target," the studio wrote, as quoted by GamesIndustry.biz.
It has always been our intention for Big Walk to be played by groups of friends, and we know that keeping the game off Xbox runs counter to those intentions. This decision means that some people will miss out on playing Big Walk with their friends, and we understand the disappointment we're causing. We are disappointed too.
The studio added that it would like the game to reach Xbox players "but not until Microsoft and/or Xbox have been removed as BDS boycott targets," and said it made the decision in the belief that "coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests," per Polygon.
Big Walk launched on August 4 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 without an Xbox version, Rock Paper Shotgun and Eurogamer reported. Eurogamer reported it sold more than one million copies in under a week. Polygon described it as one of the best-reviewed games of 2026 and the highest-profile game so far to skip Xbox as an explicit consequence of the boycott.
The boycott and other studios
BDS added Microsoft to its boycott list in April 2025, GamesIndustry.biz reported, over the company's provision of cloud and AI services to Israel's government and military. Polygon cited reporting by The Guardian on those services and noted that in September 2025 Microsoft reportedly cut off Israel's access to cloud technology used in mass surveillance of Palestinians. GamesIndustry.biz reported that Microsoft's own May 2025 internal review acknowledged supplying the Israel Ministry of Defense with software, Azure cloud and AI services but said it found "no evidence to date" that they had been used to target or harm people in Gaza.
Other developers have taken similar steps. GamesIndustry.biz reported that the developer of Luck be a Landlord asked players not to buy the game on Xbox and pledged a $10,000 donation to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, that Ice Water removed Tenderfoot Tactics from Xbox, and that All Will Rise studio Speculative Agency expressed interest in joining the No Games for Genocide campaign despite the cost of returning Microsoft funding. Union members at Microsoft-owned Arkane Studios published an open letter demanding the company stop supporting Israel, and more than 2,000 Microsoft workers signed a No Azure for Apartheid petition, according to the same report.
Rock Paper Shotgun reported that House House has been open in its support for Palestine since at least 2023, and that the studio pledges at least 1% of its income to Indigenous groups through the Pay the Rent movement.
