Union at Arkane Studios Publishes Open Letter Demanding Microsoft Take Responsibility For Complicity In Genocide

The letter states it is following the call to boycott Xbox products issued by the BDS campaign on April 10. It goes on to break down the non-violent movement’s purpose, how it is directly trying to address the decades of oppression and violence of the Israeli regime, and, notably, that a 2020 boycott successfully made Microsoft withdraw from the Israeli tech company AnyVision. It also reiterates the Associated Press report that detailed how Microsoft’s AI services are being used by Israel to assist bombing targets, which shouldn’t be confused with an even more recent report from The Guardian about how Microsoft has assisted Israel in the mass surveillance and recording of Palestinians’ calls. The open letter also states its support of the IOF Off Azure petition, which it says more than 2000 Microsoft workers have signed since May 2024, and even notes how some workers have been fired for raising awareness. 

That last note takes on an additional edge when reading the next section of the union’s open letter,  “We Demand that Microsoft takes their responsabilities and put an end to this.” After explicitly stating that the union is joining BDS and No Azure for Apartheid in their demands, it then shares “we think it’s our responsibility, as tech workers, to raise the alarm, and to ensure that our technologies are used to make the voices of the oppressed heard, and not facilitate their demise.” This was followed by an acknowledgement of Arkane Studio’s own vulnerability, with the letter stating “finally, in a more direct manner, we think this could very well affect our life directly, by reducing the audience for our games, thus directly compromising the viability of Xbox Games, and, in the long run, our very own jobs.” In other words, Arkane Studio’s STJV union section makes a direct line between their job security and Microsoft’s aid of the Israeli government.

The letter ends with a list of demands for Microsoft, including “termination of all ongoing or future contract with Israeli Occupation Forces,” disclosure of all ties to the Israeli military alongside a public audit of Microsoft’s technologies and services to ensure they’re not violating various human rights agreements, a call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and ensuring “pro-Palestinian speech and the safety of allies employes, as well as any actions, fundraising initiatives on internal company platforms.” 

This open letter joins an increasing number of game development studios taking action against Microsoft, which has included the TenderFoot Tactics developers removing their game for sale on Xbox and developers for the upcoming game Squeakross terminating their Xbox contracts. If Microsoft’s support for Israel continues, players and observers could continue seeing more developers refuse to work with the major publisher based on this momentum.