Contraband no longer in development as Avalanche Studios ‘evaluates the project’s future’

Contraband, the open-world “cooperative smuggler’s paradise” game developed by Just Cause creator Avalanche Studios announced in 2021, is no longer in active development, Avalanche Studios announced following reports by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier and Game File.

“Over the past several years, Avalanche Studios Group and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have collaborated on Contraband,” reads an update on the Avalanche Studios Group website. “Active development has now stopped while we evaluate the project’s future. We’re thankful for the excitement we’ve seen from the community since we announced and will give an update on what’s next as soon as we can.”

According to Game File, production of the game had been ongoing for five years.

While not specifically related to Contraband, Kojima Productions‘ OD—also a Microsoft collaboration—is still in development, according to Schreier.