Big Walk is not coming to Xbox for now – and that's intentional. The Australian studio House House, known for Untitled Goose Game, has now publicly explained why.
In a post on its social media channels, the team wrote, according to Eurogamer, that they want Big Walk to be played by groups of friends and know that foregoing Xbox contradicts this. “We are also disappointed.” However, an Xbox version will only be released when Microsoft and/or Xbox are no longer on the list of BDS boycott targets.
What is the BDS Movement and Why is Xbox on the List?
BDS is a Palestinian-led boycott movement. According to Eurogamer, Xbox is on its list because Microsoft provides Azure cloud and AI services to Israel, among other things. The movement calls for canceling Game Pass subscriptions, avoiding major franchises like Call of Duty, and not buying Microsoft gaming products. This is a political stance that we are merely reporting here.
Where Can You Play Big Walk Right Now?
The co-op puzzle adventure was released on August 4th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. Despite this, it's been a success: over a million copies were sold in less than a week, according to Eurogamer. Xbox players are thus left out for the time being.
What Does This Mean for the Industry?
Politically motivated platform decisions by studios are rare in the industry, and few communicate them as openly as this. From our perspective, this is likely to fuel the debate surrounding Microsoft and gaming – whether other small studios will follow suit remains to be seen.
What do you think of the decision? Discuss with us in the comments!
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