Big Walk: Why the Co-op Hit Isn't Coming to Xbox – The BDS Boycott Explained

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Big Walk: Why the Co-op Hit Isn't Coming to Xbox – The BDS Boycott Explained.

An indie studio is saying no to a huge market – out of conviction. Australian developer House House has announced it will not release its co-op game Big Walk on Xbox. The reason is political: the studio supports the call by the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) to boycott Microsoft and is therefore deliberately forgoing Microsoft's console.

House House has made this position public through its social media channels. In doing so, the studio is responding to the community's continued demand for an Xbox version – and delivering an answer that is rare in the gaming industry. ActuGaming emphasizes: an independent outfit would normally not hesitate to fully capitalize on the success of its own game. House House is doing so anyway.

For you as a player, this concretely means: anyone who wants to play Big Walk currently needs a PlayStation 5 or a Nintendo Switch 2. Xbox players are left out for now – as long as Microsoft remains on the BDS boycott target list.

We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on Xbox, in accordance with the call to boycott Microsoft launched by the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions).

Who's behind the decision?

Big Walk was developed by House House, an independent studio from Australia. The game is a cooperative puzzle and exploration game that, according to ActuGaming, is considered a major success and a textbook example of cooperative play. Demand for an Xbox version is correspondingly high, the magazine writes – a remarkable situation given the independent production.

Why Microsoft specifically?

The BDS movement has named Microsoft as a boycott target. According to Takugeek, Microsoft Games is listed as a prioritized target in the boycott calls. House House is joining this call and accepting the sacrifice of a potentially lucrative market.

How has the studio communicated?

House House has reached out directly to the community. As reported by big-n.fr, the explanation was published in an official statement on the studio's social networks. The clear message: as long as Microsoft remains on the BDS list, there will be no Xbox version of Big Walk.

ArtGaming also confirms this position, citing the studio's statement: the lack of an Xbox release is not an oversight, but a deliberate decision by the Australian team.

Would an Xbox version be technically feasible?

Yes, that certainly seems to be the case. According to GAMEWAVE's research, there is no exclusivity agreement with Sony or Nintendo. Big Walk is available in parallel on PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, so a technical port to Xbox would be fundamentally possible. The only sticking point is the studio's political stance.

What does this mean for you as a gamer?

If you want to play Big Walk, there's currently no way around PS5 or Nintendo Switch 2. An official Xbox version is not in sight – unless Microsoft is removed from the BDS list or House House changes its position. International coverage – from IGN to Insider Gaming – shows that the decision is making waves. The case is seen as a concrete example of how political convictions in the gaming industry can have tangible consequences beyond symbolism.