Celeste and TowerFall leave the Xbox store in support of the BDS boycott
Maddy Thorson confirmed the move on Bluesky. Both games stay on sale for PC, PlayStation and Switch, so only new Xbox purchases are blocked.
Celeste and TowerFall vanished from the Xbox store this week, and developer Maddy Thorson says it was deliberate. In a Bluesky post picked up by Eurogamer on October 30, Thorson wrote that the studio delisted both games "to support the BDS boycott", the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign that names Xbox among its targets.
Why Xbox is on the list
BDS added Microsoft's gaming brand because of the company's cloud and AI work for Israel, including Azure services, which the campaign links to the treatment of Palestinians. The movement has asked supporters to cancel Game Pass, skip major Xbox franchises such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush, and stop buying Microsoft gaming products. Microsoft has acknowledged supplying AI technology to Israel's Ministry of Defense but says it has found no evidence the tools were used to target or harm people in Gaza, a claim several reports dispute.
Not the first indie to walk
Thorson's studio joins a short but growing list. Weeks ago, House House said its new game Big Walk would not come to Xbox for the same reason, and the developer of Tenderfoot Tactics took a similar stance in 2025. What makes this one stand out is the profile of the games: Celeste is one of the most celebrated platformers of the last decade, and TowerFall has been a couch-multiplayer staple since its early days.
Where you can still play
Nothing changes outside Microsoft's store. Both games remain available on PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, so players in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and the rest of SEA who want Madeline's climb or a round of arrow-dodging can still buy them on Steam or the eShop. On Xbox, neither game can be purchased any more.
Thorson has not attached a timeline to the decision. Following the House House approach, the games would presumably return only if Xbox is removed as a boycott target, so treat this as an open-ended exit rather than a temporary pull. Expect more small studios to face questions about their own Xbox releases as the campaign keeps getting attention.
Source: Eurogamer; Maddy Thorson (Bluesky).
