It has been published for over 3 years now!
- by Ben Kerry
Do you remember Contraband, the cooperative world game announced by Xbox Game Studios back in 2021? Well, we haven’t really seen or heard much about the Avalanche Studios title since then, and Xbox fans are beginning to question what is actually happening with it.
On the platform’s Reddit page, one user simply inquired, “what happened to this game?”, sparking replies from other Xbox enthusiasts who are quite curious and think similarly. There’s a lot of speculation here, including reminders about some reported details that have surfaced over time regarding this enigmatic Xbox project.
Regarding that last Reddit post—let’s sincerely hope this game isn’t trapped in development limbo, although we have heard rumors that it was recently delayed internally. The concept for Contraband seemed really exciting at the time it was revealed—here’s how Avalanche outlined the game back then:
“Contraband is a co-op smuggler’s utopia set in the fictional realm of 1970s Bayan, and it’s our most ambitious and breathtaking game to date. We’re leveraging everything that we’ve learned over 18 years of leading the charge in crafting beautiful, expansive open game worlds filled with stunning landscapes and remarkable emergent gameplay moments.”
The team created the Just Cause series, so we’re definitely eager to see how this project evolves—if Avalanche and Xbox can successfully bring it to life. Here’s to hoping the Xbox community will soon be satisfied, and that we witness Contraband in action again in the near future.
Are you still eager for Contraband? Share your thoughts with us below.
Ben is a News Creator at Pure Xbox, and he enjoys action, racing, and straight-up shooting in any Xbox game.