1 source 1h ago
Maddy Thorson Ends Xbox Sales of Celeste and TowerFall over BDS Boycott
Maddy Thorson announced on October 29 that sales of the Xbox versions of Celeste and TowerFall: Ascension have ended, citing support for the BDS movement's boycott.
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Why it matters
The delisting moves an established indie developer from criticism of Microsoft's Azure and AI contracts into a concrete sales decision, and the article notes other studios (House House, Ice Water Games) have taken the same step against Xbox.
Key Facts
- Maddy Thorson announced on October 29 that Xbox sales of Celeste and TowerFall: Ascension have ended.
- Thorson said the removal is to support the BDS movement's boycott.
- Celeste cannot be purchased on the Microsoft Store PC version because Xbox shares that store.
- The Steam, PS4, and Nintendo Switch versions of both games remain on sale.
- House House's Big Walk and Ice Water Games' Tenderfoot Tactics also ended or withheld Xbox releases for the same reason.
The store pages now show only an Add to Wishlist option, and the Microsoft Store PC version of Celeste is also affected. The Steam, PS4, and Nintendo Switch versions remain on sale.
Thorson framed the removal as a reply to a follower's question, which suggests the sales had already stopped before the October 29 post. Because Xbox shares its storefront with the PC version, Celeste is also unavailable through the Microsoft Store, while the Steam, PS4, and Nintendo Switch listings stay up.
The boycott campaign against Xbox products began in April 2025, according to the article, over Microsoft's Azure cloud and AI services to the Israeli military. Microsoft said in September that it had stopped providing certain cloud storage and AI services to some divisions of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, but the article states the provision has not been completely halted. House House's Big Walk and Ice Water Games' Tenderfoot Tactics have also ended or withheld Xbox releases for the same reason.
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