"We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on Xbox, in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement's call to boycott Microsoft, and their designation of Microsoft Games (and Xbox) as a priority boycott target." via a social media post
Big Walk is the most fun I've had in a co-op game all year, perhaps for a few years; it's certainly at the top of my list for greatest games to play with friends. I'm not the only one who thinks that, just ask about anyone on the PC Gamer team or the other million players who picked the game up in its first week. But not everyone's had the chance to check it out as developer House House confirms that Big Walk still won't be coming to Xbox anytime soon.
"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 says. "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."
It's a tough decision but one that ultimately has its merits. Just last year it was revealed in a report that the Israeli military was using customised and specialised subset of Azure, provided by Microsoft, to store data from intercepted telecommunications in Gaza and The West Bank. This led to employee protests and Xbox being added to the BDS boycott targets.
"We've made this decision with the belief that meaningful change can be made in the world," House House adds. "That coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests, and that one day. Palestine will be free.
House House told players curious about its motives to check the BDS campaign's own explainer as to why it is targeting Xbox and Microsoft. It also recommended reviewing "the successes this kind of pressure has already had on Microsoft, and especially, watching this great introductory piece by People Makes Games."
