Big Walk has been a critical hit since it launched a few months ago on PC and PS5, but one major platform where you won’t find it is Xbox Series X|S. That’s no accident: Developer House House said its decision not to release the game on Xbox was a show of support for the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
“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,” House House wrote in a statement. “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. We would love for people to be able to play the game on Xbox, but not until Microsoft and/or Xbox have been removed as BDS boycott targets. We’ve made this decision with the belief that meaningful change can be made in the world, that coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests, and that one day, Palestine will be free.”
Microsoft became a priority target of the BDS initiative due to the contracts it had with the Israeli government and military. BDS has called for a boycott of the company, and by extension, all Xbox games, hardware, and subscriptions.
In response to the announcement by House House, The Palestinian BDS movement wrote in a statement (via People Makes Games’ Chris Bratt) that it “wholeheartedly” supports the developers decision and that it encourages “gamers, game developers, games journalists, and workers” to sign the No Games for Genocide pledge and continue to boycott Xbox.
That pressure on Microsoft has had results, as last year, the company did block the Israeli government from accessing its cloud storage and AI systems, which has reportedly been used to surveil Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza.
While some people have asked why Big Walk is available on PCs running a Windows operating system, it is worth noting that purchasing it through a marketplace like Steam does not mean that Microsoft gets a cut of sales from the game, compared to how it would if the game was sold through its Xbox marketplace.