Xbox players looking to buy Celeste and TowerFall Ascension on Microsoft’s storefronts are out of luck, as developer Maddy Thorson delisted both games in support of an ongoing boycott. Instead, gamers will have to look outside the Xbox ecosystem to purchase either of the aforementioned indie titles.
Originally released in January 2018, Celeste is an indie 2D platformer where players control a red-haired girl named Madeline as she climbs the titular Celeste Mountain and battles her depression and anxiety along the way. During her climb, Madeline encounters a manifestation of her doubts, dubbed Badeline, who tries to keep the protagonist from reaching the summit. Celeste was released to widespread critical acclaim, with its narrative and platforming being some of its strongest points. Celeste also received some spin-offs, including 2024’s Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain.
Celeste and TowerFall Ascension Delisted in Support of the BDS Movement
Thorson confirmed on Bluesky that Celeste and TowerFall Ascension were delisted on all Xbox storefronts, including console and PC. The movie was made in support of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to put economic and societal pressure on companies with ties to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Xbox’s parent company, Microsoft, is listed as a priority boycott target of the BDS movement amid claims that Microsoft provides cloud and AI technology to the IDF. Other companies such as Disney, Intel, and Reebok were also among the BDS movement’s priority target list. The delisting was effective as of October 29, with no plans to relist either Celeste or TowerFall Ascension on Xbox’s storefronts.
Despite the decision, players who already purchased Celeste or TowerFall Ascension via Xbox before delisting will retain access to each title, including downloading and installing each game. However, users must be logged in to the same Microsoft account that made the original purchase for this method to work. All achievements will still remain accessible. Additionally, TowerFall Ascension and Celeste remain available on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC storefronts such as Steam and Epic Games Store. Celeste currently holds an overwhelmingly positive rating of 96% on Steam across the game’s more recent reviews.
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Celeste and TowerFall Ascension are not the only titles to leave Xbox behind in 2026. In mid-October, developer House House stated that its co-op multiplayer game called Big Walk would not be released on Xbox despite finding success on other platforms. House House stated that the decision was made to skip Microsoft’s gaming platform due to support for the BDS movement. Although the Australian developer released Untitled Goose Game on multiple platforms, including Xbox, House House chose a different approach with Big Walk. Given that the boycott will firmly remain in place until Microsoft is removed from the BDS movement’s list of priority targets, it is unlikely that the development team will change course.
In April 2025, an indie RPG title called Tenderfoot Tactics was delisted from Xbox in support of the BDS movement, as developer Ice Water Games stated that the decision was made in “absolute solidarity” with the cause. With Celeste and TowerFall Ascension also delisted from Xbox, it remains to be seen if other games will follow suit.
- Released
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January 25, 2018
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
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Extremely OK Games
- Publisher(s)
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Extremely OK Games
