The hypocrisy and anti-Israel obsession in Western culture continues to infiltrate even the world of video games. Australian indie game studio House House—known for developing the viral hit Untitled Goose Game—published an unusual letter officially announcing that its new cooperative game Big Walk will not be released on Microsoft’s Xbox consoles. The reason: wholesale capitulation to the boycott campaign against the State of Israel.
In a public letter addressed to the gaming community titled “Regarding Xbox,” the developers explained the political motive behind the move: “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 the designation of Microsoft Games and Xbox as a top-priority boycott target.” But immediately after, the developers presented an embarrassing argument in which they express “disappointment” with the step they themselves decided to take: “It has always been our intention for the game to be played by groups of friends, and we know that preventing it from Xbox runs counter to those intentions. We understand the disappointment we are causing. We are disappointed too.”
The studio even added a repugnant condition for lifting the boycott, stating they would agree to launch the title on the console only if the boycott movement instructs them to do so: “We would be happy for people to be able to play the game on Xbox, but not until Microsoft or Xbox are removed from the BDS target list.” The letter closed with a radical political declaration yearning for “the liberation of ‘Palestine’.” But the developers’ double standard was immediately exposed: the company will release the game for personal computers (PC, which is mostly based on Windows—the operating system of that same Microsoft), alongside PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 consoles.
The announcement sparked a wave of widespread criticism on social media and Reddit from many gamers who attacked the transformation of social video games into a political weapon. Players pointed to the absurdity of a company that makes a colorful adventure game about wandering in nature choosing to punish innocent players solely because of the type of console they own, while directing the audience to propaganda videos online. Many commenters mocked the studio’s victimized phrasing, which blames the boycott for the distress it itself is creating for its fan base.
Big Walk won’t be coming to Xbox, and the developers have now explained why.
House House says the decision was made in support of the BDS movement, which stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. BDS is a Palestinian-led campaign that uses boycotts and other forms of economic pressure to push for changes related to Palestinian rights.
The campaign has listed Microsoft and Xbox as boycott targets, citing Microsoft’s business and technology relationships with Israel.
Because of this, House House has decided not to release Big Walk on Xbox. The developers say they know this means some players won’t be able to play with their friends on Xbox, and they’re disappointed about that too.
They would like Xbox players to eventually get the game, but say that would only happen if Microsoft/Xbox are removed as BDS boycott targets.
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) October 15, 2026