Indie Game Removed from Xbox in Support of Palestine Boycott

Image: Tenderfoot Tactics

The developer of indie game Tenderfoot Tactics has taken the game off Xbox to support a boycott of Microsoft over its connections to Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Badru, the game's developer and a member of the indie label Ice Water Games, announced the decision on social media, stating that the game was removed "in solidarity with BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]." Badru also called on others in the gaming community to take similar action against what they described as a "historic injustice."

The BDS Movement recently added Microsoft to its list of priority boycott targets. According to the movement, Microsoft provides Azure cloud and AI services that are "central to accelerating Israel's genocide of 2.3 million Palestinians in the illegally occupied Gaza Strip." The BDS website specifically encourages people to boycott Xbox products, cancel Game Pass subscriptions, and avoid Microsoft-owned game franchises like Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush.

"By boycotting the Xbox brand, we're pressuring Microsoft to end its complicity in Israel's genocide, occupation and apartheid against Palestinians," the BDS Movement explains on its website. "Palestinians call on everyone to boycott Microsoft's Xbox and Microsoft gaming products since viable gaming alternatives exist."

In a statement shared on Bluesky, Badru expressed hope that "Microsoft will listen to the voices of their workers and customers and stop all business with the criminal Israeli military." The developer added that they've "watched conduct an open genocide in Gaza over the last 18 months."

In an interview with Aftermath, Badru acknowledged that removing the game from Xbox initially resulted in a "small loss of revenue" but noted that this has since been recovered through increased sales on other platforms.

"Whether we're able to make Microsoft change or not directly, part of the point of targeting them is to be able to advocate around this and show these connections," Badru told Aftermath. "These boycotts create opportunities for us to shine a light."

The controversy comes amid reports of internal discord at Microsoft. As reported by AP News, the company fired two employees who protested during its 50th anniversary celebration, interrupting a presentation on AI to voice concerns about Microsoft's contracts with Israel. Additionally, some Microsoft employees have formed a group called "No Azure for Apartheid" in partnership with the Palestinian BDS National Committee, calling for the termination of all Azure contracts with the Israeli military and government.

BDS has also targeted other major companies, including Dell, Chevron, HP, Intel, Disney+, and Siemens.

Microsoft has not yet publicly responded to the boycott or to the removal of Tenderfoot Tactics from its platform.