Maddy Makes Games has removed Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox in support of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The decision means Xbox players, including those in the Philippines, can no longer obtain the two indie titles through the platform after their delisting.
Players first noticed that both games had disappeared from Xbox on 29 October 2026, according to GamesRadar. Maddy Thorson, the developer behind Maddy Makes Games, later confirmed the move on social media. The two games were released across multiple platforms, with Xbox One listed among their platforms alongside Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Stadia.
“For those who're asking, yes we delisted Celeste and TowerFall on Xbox. We did this to support the BDS boycott.” — Maddy Thorson
The delisting places the two games among a growing group of indie projects whose developers are withholding releases from Xbox or removing existing Xbox versions. House House, the studio behind Big Walk, recently said that its cooperative game would not launch on Xbox while Microsoft and/or Xbox remained targets of the BDS boycott. The studio said the decision conflicted with its intention for groups of friends to play together, but that it believed coordinated action could produce meaningful change.
Other indie developers have joined the boycott
The developers identified as supporting the campaign include Ice Water, creator of Tenderfoot Tactics; Speculative Agency, developer of All Will Rise; and Dan Dilorio, creator of Luck be a Landlord. Their participation broadens the issue beyond one delisting and could affect how some independent games are released or maintained on Microsoft’s platform.
- Maddy Makes Games: removed Celeste and TowerFall from Xbox.
- House House: said Big Walk would not release on Xbox while Microsoft and/or Xbox remained BDS boycott targets.
- Other supporters: Ice Water, Speculative Agency and Dan Dilorio were also identified as backing the boycott.
Why Microsoft is part of the campaign
The BDS boycott follows concerns about Microsoft’s Azure cloud and artificial-intelligence technologies and their reported use by the Israeli Ministry of Defence in the conflict in Gaza. An Associated Press investigation cited concerns that the services could be used to target civilians or cause harm.
Microsoft acknowledged providing the ministry with software, professional services, Azure cloud and AI services. However, the company said its internal review had found “no evidence to date” that its technology had been used to target or harm people in the ongoing conflict. That response does not change Maddy Makes Games’ decision to remove its Xbox titles, but it provides Microsoft’s stated position on the allegations behind the boycott.
For players in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, the immediate effect is platform-specific: Celeste and TowerFall have been delisted from Xbox, while the report identifies other platforms for the games. The move also illustrates how a developer’s position on a corporate technology and human-rights controversy can affect the availability of an indie game on a major console ecosystem.
