House House says Big Walk is not on Xbox because Microsoft and Xbox remain BDS boycott targets. Here is what is confirmed about Big Walk platforms, the studio’s statement, and how Xbox players should read the gap.
Image: bigwalk.game
House House has put a clear reason behind Big Walk’s missing Xbox version
House House has confirmed that Big Walk is not available on Xbox because the studio is observing the Palestinian-led BDS movement’s boycott of Microsoft and Xbox. In a statement published on the Big Walk website and quoted by Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, IGN, The Verge, and GameDaily, the Melbourne studio said it would like the co-op puzzler to be playable on Xbox, but not while Microsoft or Xbox remain BDS boycott targets.
That is the concrete development behind a platform gap many players had already noticed. Big Walk launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2, according to IGN and Rock Paper Shotgun, while Eurogamer’s article also lists Mac among the platforms mentioned for the game. Xbox Series X and S are absent, and House House is saying that absence is intentional rather than a delayed rollout, technical stumble, or quiet exclusivity arrangement.
The tension is sharper because Big Walk’s whole design pitch is social. House House acknowledged that directly in its statement: “It has always been our intention for Big Walk to be played by groups of friends, and we know that keeping the game off Xbox runs counter to those intentions.” The studio added that the decision means some people will miss out on playing with friends, and said, “We are disappointed too.” For a game built around shared discovery, that is a meaningful self-imposed tradeoff rather than a platform footnote.
The statement ties Big Walk’s Xbox absence to Microsoft’s BDS status
House House’s position is specific. The studio did not say Big Walk will never come to Xbox under any circumstances. It said, as quoted by multiple outlets, “We would love for people to be able to play the game on Xbox, but not until Microsoft and/or Xbox have been removed as BDS boycott targets.”
IGN describes BDS as a Palestinian-led movement for “freedom, justice and equality,” and reports that BDS lists Xbox as a priority target. Eurogamer says the movement has called for people to cancel Game Pass subscriptions, avoid Microsoft gaming products, and boycott major Microsoft-owned franchises including Call of Duty and Candy Crush. The Verge reports that Microsoft was named a priority BDS target in June last year over contracts with the Israeli military and government, and that the boycott specifically calls out Xbox consoles, Game Pass subscriptions, Microsoft-owned gaming franchises, and Microsoft gaming accessories.
The reported basis for the boycott is Microsoft’s business relationship with Israel. Rock Paper Shotgun frames the 2025 boycott call as a protest against Microsoft’s business ties with the Israeli military, citing reporting from The Guardian. Eurogamer says BDS points to Microsoft’s partnership with Israel and its prison system, including use of Azure cloud and AI systems. The Verge similarly reports that Microsoft’s involvement with Israel has drawn protests from its own employees, and says the company has fired staffers for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations. IGN notes that it has asked Microsoft for comment.
House House’s own statement frames the decision as collective action. “We’ve made this decision with the belief that meaningful change can be made in the world, that coordinated collective action can confront even the most powerful interests, and that one day, Palestine will be free,” the studio wrote, according to the outlets quoting the post.
Big Walk platforms are confirmed, but an Xbox release is conditional
For players searching Big Walk platforms, the practical read is simple: Big Walk is available on the non-Xbox platforms reported by the outlets covering its launch, and there is no announced Xbox version. IGN says House House released Big Walk earlier this year on PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2. Eurogamer reports the game sold more than one million copies in under a week after its August 4 release and lists Mac, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, and PS5 in the article’s platform metadata. Rock Paper Shotgun also identifies PC, PS5, and Switch 2 as the launch set relevant to the Xbox omission.
The absence should not be read as a timed exclusivity deal based on the available sources. None of the supplied reports mention Sony, Nintendo, Panic, or any storefront paying to keep Big Walk off Xbox. None cite certification trouble, performance issues, controller parity problems, or crossplay constraints as the cause. House House has instead given a political and ethical reason tied to Microsoft’s place on the BDS target list.
That also means the most important condition for a future Big Walk Xbox version is external to the game itself. House House’s wording leaves a door open only if Microsoft and/or Xbox are removed as BDS boycott targets. The supplied sources do not report a development timeline for an Xbox port, a fallback plan, or any commitment to revisit the platform on a particular date. If you are an Xbox-only player, there is currently no source-backed reason to expect an imminent Series X or Series S release.
The platform gap cuts against Big Walk’s co-op craft
The decision lands differently because of what Big Walk is. IGN describes it as a clever co-op puzzle adventure and, in its 9/10 review, called it “a rewarding co-op adventure full of beautiful emergent moments” built around solving puzzles and exploring a large open world with friends. Rock Paper Shotgun calls it a breezy co-op puzzle adventure from the makers of Untitled Goose Game. The Verge describes it as a co-op multiplayer walking adventure that has proved popular since launch.
That makes the Xbox absence more than a line on a store page. Co-op games are only as accessible as the overlap between your friends’ hardware. A solo platform gap can be inconvenient; a co-op platform gap can split a group before the first session starts. House House plainly recognizes that. Its statement does not try to pretend the omission is painless, and it does not dress the decision up as neutral platform strategy.
From a design perspective, that candor matters. Big Walk appears to be trading reach for alignment with a boycott, even though its core appeal depends on gathering people together. House House is effectively accepting fewer possible friend groups in order to avoid releasing on a platform owned by a boycott target. Players do not need to agree with that decision to understand its direct consequence: if your group’s shared console is Xbox, Big Walk is not currently a viable plan unless someone can play on another supported platform.
House House is not treating politics as separate from platform business
The Big Walk Xbox decision also fits a broader public profile for House House. Rock Paper Shotgun reports that the studio, based in Melbourne and known for Untitled Goose Game, has been open in its support for Palestine since at least 2023. The same report says House House has also been vocal about the Pay the Rent movement, pledging at least 1 percent of its income to Indigenous groups as restitution for games made on stolen Wurundjeri land.
Rock Paper Shotgun places House House alongside other developers that have publicly divested from Xbox or Microsoft-linked arrangements, including All Will Rise studio Speculative Agency and Tenderfoot Tactics designer badru. The outlet also reports that many Microsoft staff have spoken out against the company maintaining business relationships with Israel, including developers at the Microsoft-owned Arkane Studios. The Verge likewise reports internal Microsoft protests around the company’s work with Israel.
That context helps explain why the statement is so direct. House House is not presenting the Big Walk Xbox absence as a quiet publishing complication. It is joining a named boycott with named targets, and it is using the game’s own platform availability to do it. For an indie studio with a major post-Goose audience, that is a visible move, especially because Xbox is not an obscure edge case in the console market.
How Xbox players should read the absence before buying elsewhere
If you searched “Big Walk not on Xbox” hoping for a hidden release date, the current answer is that none has been announced in the supplied reporting. House House says the game will stay off Xbox while Microsoft or Xbox remain BDS boycott targets. Until that changes, waiting specifically for an Xbox launch is a political bet on circumstances outside the normal release calendar.
For mixed-platform friend groups, the useful question is not whether an Xbox version is late, but whether everyone can gather on one of the available platforms. The confirmed reporting points to PC, PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2, with Eurogamer’s platform listing also including Mac. The sources provided do not establish crossplay details, pricing, performance targets, upgrade paths, or system requirements, so players should check the relevant storefronts before organizing a group purchase.
For Xbox-only players, the most honest guidance is to avoid planning around a near-term port unless House House issues a new statement. The studio has already explained the condition for release, and no outlet in the supplied material reports that Microsoft, Xbox, or BDS has changed the status that House House cites. Big Walk may be a warm, strange, friend-powered puzzle outing, but its Xbox absence is not mysterious anymore. It is a deliberate platform decision, and House House has made clear the circumstances under which it would reconsider.