Contraband is a cancelled co-operative multiplayer game that was being developed by Avalanche Studios for Windows and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The game was described as "a co-op smuggler’s paradise set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan." It was also stated as being the studios "most ambitious and spectacular game to date."^[1] The game was being built upon the next generation of Avalanche's Apex Engine, the same engine that was used in Just Cause 4.^[2][3]

Announced during the 2021 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase via a short cinematic trailer, no further information was ever revealed about the game. On August 7, 2025, Avalanche Studios announced that active development on the game had stopped, while the studio evaluated the project's future.^[4][5]

Gameplay

Set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan, Contraband was intended to be an action-packed multiplayer game set in an open world in which players would work together to smuggle goods. Game director for Contraband Omar Shakir previously teased that the game would be a "co-op smuggler's paradise" that would be the studio's "most ambitious and spectacular game."^[3]

While no gameplay for Contraband was ever officially shown to the public, it was described as featuring sandbox elements similar to Sea of Thieves, with a heavy focus on vehicle use, both on-land and off it.^[6] While various weapons would have featured in the game, they were described as being a "last resort" for players due to the game's focus on vehicular combat that would have involved protecting any smuggled items being carried from enemies.^[7]

Development

Known in development as Project Typhoon, on June 13, 2021 during E3 at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Contraband, a co-operative open world action-adventure game being developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios was officially announced.^[8][6] The title was planned to launch on Xbox Game Pass and be available on Windows, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.^[9] No release window was specified in the announcement.

In February 2022, Windows Central's Jez Corden reported that the game would be based around vehicle combat, also describing that gameplay would involve planning and executing smuggling runs and heists.^[10][11][6] In 2024, rumors began to emerge that the game had been internally delayed until late 2025 after 9% of Avalanche Studios' workforce was laid off, in addition to their New York and Montreal studios being closed down.^[12] This rumor was supported by The Verge's Tom Warren who stated at the time that "Contraband is ways off, for sure."^[13]

Following the layoffs of over 9000 Microsoft employees on July 2, 2025, both The Initiative's Perfect Dark reboot as well as Rare's Everwild, a game that also went several years with no updates, were both cancelled.^[14] At the same time, the original announcement trailer for Contraband was abruptly removed from Xbox's YouTube channel, leading to speculation that it too had been cancelled.^[15][16] Users on Reddit theorised that the trailer's removal may have been a result of the license for the song used in it expiring, rather than its cancellation.^[17][18] However, no official statement on the matter was put out by Xbox or Avalanche Studios at the time. Furthermore, less than a fortnight later, Avalanche Studios posted a job listing hiring for a "Product Lead" for an "upcoming AAA co-op open world action game," suggesting that development was still well underway for the title.^[19]

On August 7, 2025, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier broke the news that that Contraband had been cancelled after "four years of radio silence."^[5][20][21] This was later confirmed by Avalanche Studios themselves via a post on their website.^[4]

Gallery

Videos

Contraband – Official Announce Trailer – Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2021

Contraband - Official Reveal Trailer 4K - E3 2021

See also

• Everwild
• Just Cause 4
• Sea of Thieves

References

External links

• Official website (archive)
• Official Xbox page (archive)
• Windows Central article