Maddy Thorson has confirmed she pulled Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox to back the BDS boycott of Microsoft, and the two games can no longer be bought on the platform.
The developer's confirmation
Thorson, who made both games, said on Bluesky that the decision to take them off Xbox was hers and was made to support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.
For those who’re asking, yes we delisted Celeste and TowerFall on XBox. We did this to support the BDS boycott
Neither game can now be bought on an Xbox console. The removal is confirmed by the developer rather than reported second-hand: Thorson said the team did it and said why.
TowerFall dates from 2013 and Celeste from 2018, so both have been on sale for years. Removing a catalogue title is a different act from holding back a new one. It affects anyone who goes looking for either game on the store today.
| Game | Developer | Released | On Xbox | Still sold on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celeste | Maddy Thorson | 2018 | delisted | PlayStation, PC, Switch |
| TowerFall | Maddy Thorson | 2013 | delisted | PlayStation, PC, Switch |
| Big Walk | House House | not released | not released | not given in the pack |
Nothing in the pack records the date TowerFall came off the platform. Celeste's absence was what got noticed first, spotted on the Xbox Store while the game was still listed on the PlayStation and Nintendo storefronts.
For players on other platforms, neither title has moved. Both remain on sale on PlayStation, PC and Switch.
What the boycott asks for
The BDS movement describes itself as a “Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality.” It called for a boycott of Microsoft and Xbox games and hardware last year. The stated reason was Microsoft supplying AI software to the Israeli military, which the campaign said was used specifically to target Palestinian civilians.
Microsoft confirmed that it was providing the software. The company also remains on the BDS boycott list for other services to the Israeli military, among them email and file management systems, and for “combat and intelligence activities.”
What we know
- BDS called for a boycott of Microsoft and Xbox games and hardware last year over AI software supplied to the Israeli military.
- Microsoft confirmed it was providing that software.
- Microsoft stays on the BDS list for other services, including email and file management, and for combat and intelligence activities.
- Celeste and TowerFall remain on sale on PlayStation, PC and Switch.
Still unclear
- Whether Microsoft has changed any of the practices the campaign cites.
- Whether more developers will follow Thorson and House House.
Microsoft has said nothing about the two removals.
Big Walk went first
Celeste and TowerFall aren't the first games to leave Xbox over the campaign. Earlier this fall, House House said its co-op adventure Big Walk would not release on Xbox and gave the boycott as the reason.
Earlier this month the studio said the social puzzle game would not launch on Xbox for the foreseeable future.
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,
House House set out what would change its mind. The studio said Big Walk would come to Xbox if Microsoft divests from its Israeli ties and is taken off the list of BDS targets.
The studio also pointed players towards the case behind the designation.
If you need help understanding our motives, we would recommend reading about why Microsoft is a BDS priority target, the successes this kind of pressure has already had on Microsoft, and especially, watching this great introductory piece by People Make Games .
That condition is the only route back to Xbox anyone has named. Thorson hasn't said what, if anything, would bring Celeste or TowerFall back.
- last yearBDS names Microsoft and Xbox
The campaign calls for a boycott of Microsoft and Xbox games and hardware over AI software supplied to the Israeli military.
- this fallBig Walk withheld
House House says its co-op adventure will not release on Xbox and cites the boycott.
- this monthBig Walk delay confirmed
House House says the social puzzle game will not launch on Xbox for the foreseeable future.
- earlier todayCeleste disappears
Celeste is found missing from the Xbox Store while still listed on the PlayStation and Nintendo storefronts.
- same dayThorson confirms both
Thorson says on Bluesky that her team delisted Celeste and TowerFall to support the BDS boycott.
The wider pushback
The withdrawals sit inside a broader campaign against the platform. No Games for Genocide, an organisation of developers and industry practitioners, is part of that pushback against Xbox over Microsoft's support of the military campaign.
Not every statement is a withdrawal. Origame Digital used its latest game, Penguin's Colony, to denounce the genocide. The game is cited for that statement alone, not for any departure from Xbox.
One of the two reports this story draws on was written by an organiser at No Games for Genocide, the group named above.
Microsoft was asked for comment on the delisting and has not responded.
A larger statement has not been made by the other Celeste developers or by Thorson's current studio, EXOK Games, Rock Paper Shotgun wrote. IGN has asked Microsoft for comment.
