Celeste and TowerFall delisted from Xbox as Maddy Makes Games backs BDS boycott

Maddy Makes Games has pulled Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox in support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Players spotted both delistings yesterday, and studio founder Maddy Thorson confirmed the move shortly after on social media.

"For those who're asking, yes we delisted Celeste and TowerFall on Xbox," Thorson wrote. "We did this to support the BDS boycott."

The decision removes two of the most recognizable indie titles of the past decade from Microsoft's storefront. Celeste, the precision platformer that won wide critical acclaim, and TowerFall, the studio's multiplayer archery hit, remain available elsewhere. Only the Xbox versions are gone.

Why are developers targeting Xbox specifically?

The BDS campaign against Microsoft traces back to an Associated Press investigation. It raised concerns that Microsoft's Azure cloud and AI technologies were being used by the Israeli Ministry of Defence (IMOD) "to target civilians or cause harm in the conflict in Gaza."

Microsoft has responded publicly. The company acknowledged that it provides the IMOD "with software, professional services, Azure cloud and AI services." But after an internal review, Microsoft concluded it has "no evidence to date" that its technology has "been used to target or harm people" in the conflict.

That gap — between what the technology is contracted for and what Microsoft says it can verify about its use — sits at the center of the boycott. Developers behind the campaign don't accept the internal review as sufficient.

Which studios have joined the boycott?

Maddy Makes Games is the latest in a growing list of indie developers withholding games from Xbox:

• House House, developer of Big Walk, has said it will not release its co-op game on Xbox
• Ice Water, creator of Tenderfoot Tactics
• Speculative Agency, developer of All Will Rise
• Dan Dilorio, creator of Luck be a Landlord

House House's statement is the most detailed so far. Big Walk is a co-op game built around groups of friends playing together, and the studio admits the decision cuts against its own design goals.

"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 these intentions," the developer said.

"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."

What does this change for studios and players?

For players on Xbox, the immediate effect is simple: Celeste and TowerFall can no longer be purchased on the platform. Owners who already bought the games keep their copies. Prospective buyers must look to Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, or other storefronts.

For studios, the moves set a precedent with real commercial weight. Delisting a game from a major console platform means giving up that platform's revenue entirely — a cost most developers calculate carefully. Celeste in particular has been a steady seller since its 2018 launch, spanning multiple platform releases.

House House faces a bigger wager. Big Walk has not shipped yet. Withholding an unreleased co-op game from Xbox means launching without an entire console audience, and the studio has framed that as a deliberate sacrifice tied directly to Microsoft's status as a boycott target.

The campaign also puts a different kind of pressure on Microsoft than consumer-facing controversies usually do. The complaints here concern backend infrastructure — Azure contracts, AI services, and professional services supplied to a military customer — rather than platform policies or store fees that developers typically lobby about.

Microsoft's public position hasn't shifted. The company stands by its internal review and its "no evidence to date" conclusion. Whether that answer holds as more developers join the boycott, or as the AP reporting draws further scrutiny, is the open question.

Watch whether other notable studios follow Maddy Makes Games in delisting existing catalog titles — that's a costlier step than skipping a launch, and a broader signal of how far this campaign could reach.