"Genocide is not a game": BDS urges gamers to boycott Xbox, Microsoft

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement leadership on Thursday urged gamers to boycott Xbox and other Microsoft gaming products as a form of protest against the company’s ties to the state of Israel.

The official BDS organizing body called on supporters to cancel Xbox GamePass subscriptions, avoid playing Microsoft-owned video game franchises, and stop purchasing branded gaming products such as consoles and headsets.

"Microsoft Gaming, which includes Xbox consoles, Xbox game pass, Candy Crush, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and gaming accessories, makes up a considerable portion of Microsoft's profit," said BDS Movement. "By boycotting the Xbox brand, we're pressuring Microsoft to end its complicity in Israel's genocide, occupation, and apartheid."

On its website, BDS castigated Microsoft for its silence about employee protests and its contracts with the Israeli military. It alleged that the company had created a climate of fear of retaliation against pro-Palestinian employees criticizing their employer.

The BDS call to action was cited by No Azure for Apartheid, which works with the BDS National Committee and other anti-Israel organizations, as motivation for its protests at the Friday Microsoft 50th anniversary celebration.

Two separate panels by Microsoft officers were disrupted by employees, who heckled accusations about their collaboration in a supposed genocide in Gaza. Other activists marched with banners into the Microsoft campus, demanding an end to contracts with Israel and a disclosure of how their products had been used against Palestinians.

BDS said that the Azure cloud and AI services were "central" to alleged Israeli actions against Palestinians, and the Israeli military was reliant on the systems.

"Genocide is not a game," said BDS.