Maddy Makes Games has delisted Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox in support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Players noticed that both games had been removed from the platform, and Maddy Thorson later confirmed the decision 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 studio is among several game developers backing the boycott. House House, the developer of Big Walk, recently said it would not release its cooperative game on Xbox. The studio cited Microsoft and Xbox’s status as BDS boycott targets and said it would reconsider the decision if that status changed.
Other developers identified as supporters include Ice Water, the creator of Tenderfoot Tactics; Speculative Agency, developer of All Will Rise; and Dan Dilorio, creator of Luck be a Landlord.
The boycott followed concerns about Microsoft’s Azure and artificial intelligence technologies being used by Israel’s Ministry of Defence in the conflict in Gaza. An Associated Press investigation raised those concerns. Microsoft has acknowledged providing the ministry with software, professional services, Azure cloud services and AI services, while saying that its internal review found “no evidence to date” that its technology had been used to target or harm people in the conflict.
Sources: GamesIndustry.biz.