Upcoming Xbox Console Exclusive May Be Coming Later Than…

Summary

Contraband, the upcoming Xbox exclusive co-op heist title, has been internally delayed until 2025, according to industry insiders.
Avalanche Studios, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, is developing Contraband using the next generation of the Apex Engine.
Avalanche Studios Group, facing recent layoffs and office closures, may be focusing on sustainability before releasing more information about Contraband.

The upcoming Xbox console exclusive title Contraband won't be coming out anytime soon, according to an industry insider. Avalanche Studios, in partnership with Xbox Game Studios, is developing Contraband, a first-person heist title first revealed during Microsoft's conference at E3 2021.

For the past three years, fans have been eager for any update on the project following its reveal via a cryptic CG teaser trailer. No concrete release window or gameplay footage has been shared with the community just yet, though the studio has shared that Contraband will be a co-op adventure set in the 1970s that is being built on the next generation of the Apex Engine, the tech used to power the ever-popular Just Cause games. In January, it was teased that the game would support 8-player co-op and would focus on vehicular combat.

According to MAGG, the co-host of the Xbox Infinite podcast, Contraband has been internally delayed well into 2025. Although this hasn't been officially confirmed by Avalanche Studios, Tom Warren from The Verge chimed in during the new episode to corroborate MAGG's claim that Contraband is still a ways off. It's looking unlikely that the title will appear during the upcoming Xbox Showcase on June 9.

Contraband Might Now Be Looking at a Late 2025 Release

News of the game's delay comes days after it was announced that Avalanche Studios Group had shuttered two offices and laid off around 50 people, accounting for 9% of the company's workforce. Both the New York and Montreal studios were shut down, with Avalanche claiming that extreme measures were necessary to maintain the sustainability of the company as a whole.

The Swedish company's most recent games—Just Cause 4 and Rage 2—didn't sell particularly well when compared to previous titles and garnered mixed reviews from players. Avalanche's smaller titles, such as Ravenbound and Call of the Wild: The Angler, also failed to resonate with the community, which may have led to this unfortunate outcome. Over 10,000 people have been laid off in the video game industry this year.

Avalanche Studios Group unionized in 2023, following in the footsteps of other game industry giants like Sega of America and Raven Software. Over 100 developers joined the Swedish trade union Unionen, accounting for 20% of the company's total workers. Despite player demand, Contraband may not appear for some time while those left at the studio deal with the recent fallout.

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