House House’s Big Walk Skips Xbox Over BDS Boycott Movement
House House, the independent studio behind Untitled Goose Game, has confirmed why its latest title Big Walk launched without an Xbox version. The game arrived in August 2026 on PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, earning strong praise from players and media alike and becoming a contender for this year’s major game awards. Its absence from Xbox at launch had puzzled some observers. The developer has now publicly explained the decision, linking it directly to the Palestinian-led BDS boycott movement.
House House stated that the decision was made in response to the Palestinian-led BDS boycott movement. The campaign lists Microsoft and its Xbox division as priority boycott targets, citing the company’s ongoing provision of cloud computing and AI technology services to the Israeli military. In an official announcement, the studio explained that Big Walk will not come to Xbox for the time being. It said it would only consider releasing an Xbox version once Microsoft and Xbox are no longer included on the BDS boycott list.
House House acknowledged that the decision conflicts with Big Walk’s core design. The game is built around playing together with friends, so skipping Xbox means some players will not be able to join their friends in online sessions. The studio said it understands players’ disappointment and shares their regret over the situation. The developer also expressed its belief that collective action can drive social change, and voiced its hope for Palestine’s freedom.
A small number of smaller indie games have previously withdrawn from the Xbox store for similar reasons. According to the report, Big Walk is the first game with notable buzz to take this step during its launch window. The title had already built momentum through strong reviews and award-season attention, which makes its platform choice far more visible than earlier cases. Whether this stance influences how other indie studios weigh platform partnerships remains to be seen, but it stands as one of the more prominent political statements in recent indie gaming.
