In 2021, at the Xbox presentation, the game Contraband from Avalanche Studios was announced. The year 2024 is ending, and since the announcement there has been no official information about the project. Today, a popular thread on Reddit is where players are trying to figure out what happened to the game. The topic is interesting because it summarizes information that is officially known about the game, as well as from insiders.
What is officially known
There is very little official information about Contraband. The main ones:
- Development began in 2018 or earlier.
- Avalanche Studios currently has 2 major main projects in development – Contraband and a certain “a cutting-edge AAA open-world game yet to be revealed”.
- Despite massive cutbacks at the studio, development of Contraband was not cancelled.
- The game itself is a co-op “for smugglers”, which takes place in the fictional world of Bayan in the 1970s.
- The basis of the gameplay is battles on vehicles and robberies, the game is aimed at multiplayer, but at the moment it is unknown whether it will have a single-player story campaign.
What insiders say
Over the 3 years that have passed since the announcement of Contraband, many rumors have appeared about the project. It was predicted to be shown in 2022, 2023, and several “release windows” have already passed, which were indicated by various insiders.
The latest information about Contraband, as reported by insider Jez Corden:
- The development of the project was significantly affected by the pandemic, which is why the release date was repeatedly pushed back.
- Game absolutely not cancelled.
- Phil Spencer visited Avalanche Studios during his European tour a few months ago.
Also in June of this year, The Verge journalist Tom Warren, who is known for accurate data from the Xbox camp, spoke about Contraband. In June 2024, he stated that “Of course, the release of Contraband is still a long way off”.
Contraband is being created for Xbox Series X | S, PC and Game Pass.
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