An open letter has been issued to Microsoft by the Arkane Studios union, calling for a halt to the company's support for Israel

Members of the Arkane Studios STJV union have penned an open letter to executives at the studio, Zenimax, Microsoft, and Microsoft Gaming. The letter requests that Microsoft discontinue its support for Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

"The Arkane Studios STJV chapter aligns with Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) and the No Azure for Apartheid initiative, calling on Microsoft to stop backing the Israeli government," STJV expressed in the open letter published on August 7, 2025.

"We believe Microsoft should not be complicit in a genocide, and as employees of Microsoft, we refuse to participate in this grave endeavor concerning Gaza.

"Moreover, it's essential for us as tech professionals to sound the alarm, ensuring our technologies amplify the voices of those oppressed rather than contributing to their downfall."

Earlier, on April 10, 2025, the BDS movement, which is led by Palestinians and aims to end international support for what it describes as Israel's oppression of Palestinians, launched a boycott initiative. This campaign targets Microsoft's gaming products to pressure the company to discontinue what BDS calls its complicity in Israel's actions against Palestinians.

BDS labeled Microsoft as potentially the most complicit tech entity in Israel's occupation, urging gamers to avoid Microsoft Gaming products, including consoles and games from Microsoft-owned brands like Bethesda Softworks and Activision Blizzard.

Following this boycott call, over 2,000 Microsoft employees signed the No Azure for Apartheid petition, urging Microsoft to sever ties with the Israeli military and carry out an independent external audit of their contracts, services, and products to ensure no involvement in human rights abuses, whether in Gaza or elsewhere.

The STJV union claims Microsoft has ignored these appeals from its workforce. The letter emphasizes, "Microsoft has an obligation to its employees, just as we have a duty to the company."

It references Microsoft's stated commitment to human rights, highlighting that the firm, so far, has let down both its teams and customers by being complicit in the conflict in Gaza.

The letter warns that Microsoft’s position could potentially harm employees' "reputation and work," possibly reducing the audience for their games and threatening the sustainability of Xbox Games, thereby endangering jobs.

STJV's demands include stopping all contracts with the Israeli military, revealing any connections to the Israeli defense sector, conducting a public audit of Microsoft's technologies and investments to ensure compliance with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and safeguarding pro-Palestinian expression.

In May, Microsoft carried out an internal review amidst allegations that Azure and AI technologies were utilized by the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) in ways that could harm civilians during the Gaza conflict.

Microsoft admitted to supplying the IMOD with various technologies and services, including Azure cloud and AI support, but their review uncovered "no evidence to date" of these resources being deployed to target or harm individuals in the ongoing situation in Gaza.

GamesIndustry.biz has approached Microsoft for their opinion on the matter.