Xbox Officially Loses 2026 GOTY Contender Due To Microsoft Boycott

Published Oct 15, 2026, 5:46 AM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

Xbox will not be getting one of 2026's Game of the Year contenders as a direct consequence of an ongoing boycott of Microsoft. This has been officially confirmed by the game's developer, which spoke out in a social media post after being questioned about the missing Xbox port of its recently released and critically acclaimed 2026 game. This is not a fan-led boycott, but an official boycott against Microsoft itself, something that the developer is actively in support of.

The news comes amid a series of controversies surrounding Xbox, which is currently attempting to restore the goodwill its brand name once carried through the implementation of new leadership and a focus on first-party exclusives. While Game Pass continues to be stuffed with first-party titles, day-one releases, and assorted third-party games, the loss of this 2026 GOTY contender is sure to disappoint fans, although its developer hopes they'll understand while the boycott is still ongoing.

The 2026 critically acclaimed title Big Walk proved to be a massive success when its developer, the Australian Studio House House, launched it back in August. It offers fans an expansive open-world co-op experience unlike anything else, which, amid the rise of what is being affectionately called "friendslop", proved to be a winning formula for many. Its surreal landscapes, clever puzzle design, and use of proximity chat created an experience that many believe is in with a chance of winning the coveted Game of the Year award, as well as a respectable score of 91 on Metacritic.

Big Walk was released on PS Plus, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, with House House opting to skip Xbox. It has now transpired that the reason for forgoing an Xbox port is a direct consequence of the developer supporting the Palestine-led BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) boycott. The movement, which has been ongoing since 2005, aims to "pressure Israel to comply with international law" by "effectively challenging international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism," according to its official website.

In a statement posted to House House's official X account, the developer stated that it would not be releasing an Xbox port of Big Walk until "Microsoft and/or XBOX have been removed as BDS boycott targets." Microsoft is one of the priority targets for the BDS movement, with its website calling it "the most complicit tech company in Israel’s illegal apartheid regime and ongoing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza." House House explained that it believed that "meaningful change can be made in the world," stating:

“In June 2026 we announced that the release of Big Walk would be limited to computers, Switch 2, and PS5. Since then, we have received many messages and comments, asking about a future XBOX release. We would like to address those questions here. We have made the decision not to release Big Walk on XBOX, in accordance with the Palestinian-led BDS movement’s call to boycott Microsoft, and their designation of Microsoft Games (and XBOX) as a priority boycott target [...] 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 BDS' boycott against Microsoft is ongoing and unlikely to end any time soon. It cites Microsoft's involvement with the Israeli military, the extent of which was revealed by a recent joint investigation by The Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine, and Local Call. Consequently, it is unlikely that Big Walk will be ported to Xbox any time soon, something that House House hopes will, at least in some small part, contribute toward the BDS' push toward meaningful change.

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