Maddy Thorson Delists Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox to Support BDS Movement

Key points

• Maddy Thorson confirmed on Bluesky that Celeste and TowerFall were delisted from Xbox to support the BDS boycott.
• The BDS movement targets Microsoft because of its Azure Cloud and AI partnerships with the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
• This is not an isolated incident; developers of Big Walk, Tenderfoot Tactics, and other titles have recently taken similar actions.
• Microsoft acknowledges providing software and AI services to Israel but claims there is no evidence these tools were used to harm civilians in Gaza.
• Both Celeste and TowerFall remain purchasable on PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Background

This development follows a series of similar actions by indie developers in late 2026. In September, House House announced that its game Big Walk would not launch on Xbox due to Microsoft's ties to Israel. Earlier in 2025, the developer of Tenderfoot Tactics also withdrew from the platform for the same reasons. These moves reflect a growing sentiment within the indie gaming community to leverage consumer choices to pressure large tech corporations involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

How outlets are covering it

Eurogamer and GamesIndustry.biz report the news straightforwardly, focusing on Thorson's confirmation and the broader context of the BDS movement. Kotaku emphasizes the cultural significance of the move, noting that Celeste won Best Indie Game at the 2018 Game Awards and highlighting the irony of the Game Awards' own silence on the conflict. All three sources agree on the facts of the delisting but differ in emphasis: Kotaku frames it as a major cultural statement, while Eurogamer and GamesIndustry.biz present it as part of a wider industry trend. Microsoft's stance, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz, is that while it supplies technology to Israel, it has no evidence of direct harm, a claim refuted by other reports cited in the sources.

Why it matters

The delisting of two of the most successful indie games of the decade signals a shift in how developers engage with corporate platforms. It highlights the increasing willingness of creators to prioritize political principles over commercial reach, potentially influencing other developers and consumers. This move also underscores the growing scrutiny of Microsoft's role in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the effectiveness of the BDS movement in the gaming industry.

What to watch

It is unclear if more developers will follow suit or if Microsoft will respond to the growing pressure. The availability of these games on other platforms means the impact is limited to the Xbox ecosystem, but the symbolic weight of the move could influence consumer behavior and corporate policies in the near future.