Employees part of Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) union at Arkane Studios in Lyon, France (given how its sister company Arkane Studios Austin was dismantled by Microsoft last year) have joined boycott calls against their own parent company. In an open letter, members urged Microsoft to end all support for Israel amid the Gaza conflict, aligning with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and the "No Azure for Apartheid" campaign.
The letter calls on Microsoft to cut all ties with the Israeli military, publicly disclose those connections, conduct an independent audit of its technologies and contracts, and advocate for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza while protecting pro-Palestinian speech.
Raising further concerns over corporate values and job security, the STJV accuses Microsoft of failing its human rights commitments, warns that perceived complicity could damage reputations and sales of Xbox games, and claims this might ultimately threaten employees' jobs.
"On April 10th, 2025, BDS announced a new boycott campaign, targeting the Xbox gaming products, both hardware and software. They chose to do so to cast light on how the Israeli military has been using Microsoft services to help out on its genocidal assault on Palestinian, as it's been revealed by the Associated Press".
According to GI.biz, Microsoft's own internal review conducted last May concluded that there was "no evidence to date" that Azure and AI "have been used to target or harm people" in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Arkane Studios is currently developing the new Marvel's Blade game, which shouldn't be expected anytime soon.
