Celeste delisted from Xbox in support of BDS movement

Developer Maddy Thorson confirmed the decision on social media.

Over the past day, Xbox users began to report that Celeste, the hit indie platformer from 2018, was no longer available on the platform. After speculation as to what led to the game’s delisting, developer Maddy Thorson has provided clarification. Celeste was intentionally delisted from Xbox by its developer in support of Palestine’s BDS movement. 

Thorson confirmed the decision in a Bluesky post. “For those who’re asking, yes we delisted Celeste and TowerFall on XBox. We did this to support the BDS boycott.” Players who already bought the game will still have access to it, but the game is no longer available for purchase for new buyers.

This comes a couple of weeks after Big Walk developer House House announced that it wouldn’t be releasing the co-op puzzle game on Xbox in support of the BDS movement. BDS, which stands for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, is a Palestinian-led movement that specifically targets companies they provide support or aid to Israel amongst the ongoing genocide. Microsoft, Xbox’s parent company, is among the companies listed on the BDS website.

Celeste was released in 2018 for Xbox as well as PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The game received critical acclaim, including here at Shacknews, where it was named the Indie Game of the Year.

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