Celeste and TowerFall were suddenly delisted from Xbox earlier this week. According to a post on Bluesky, developer Maddy Thorson says this was an intentional move, as the games were removed from sale on Xbox in support of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, which aims to protest several companies linked to or supporting the government of Israel during the genocide in Palestine. “For those asking, yes, we delisted Celeste and TowerFall on Xbox,” Thorson states in a BlueSky post. “We did this to support the BDS boycott.” Watch it on YouTube In case you don’t know, Xbox’s inclusion on the BDS list is due to Microsoft’s association with Israel and its prison system, according to BDS itself. The company has provided the country with the use of its Azure Cloud and AI systems, which have been used constantly over the past few years in the current subjugation of the Palestinians. BDS has urged people to cancel their Game Pass subscriptions, boycott major Xbox franchises including Call of Duty and Candy Crush, and stop purchasing Microsoft gaming products. As things stand, Celeste and TowerFall are now unavailable for purchase within the Xbox ecosystem. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen developers intentionally opt out of selling Xbox due to the BDS movement; Just a few weeks ago, Big Walk developer House House issued a statement noting that its game is not on Xbox due to Microsoft’s ties to Israel, and we saw Tenderfoot Tactics developer do the same in 2025. “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 targets of the BDS boycott,” the Australian developer noted at the time. “We have made this decision in the belief that significant change can be achieved in the world, that coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests, and that one day Palestine will be free.” Microsoft previously responded to the BDS boycott, acknowledging that it supplied AI technology to Israel’s Ministry of Defense, but stating that there is “no evidence” that it was used to “target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza.” Several reports, including the one linked above, refute this claim. Celeste and TowerFall remain available for purchase on PlayStation, PC, and Switch.
