Back in 2021, prior to Microsoft's shift away from exclusive games, Xbox had announced a third-party exclusive game called Contraband, developed by Avalanche Studios. The game quietly missed its 2022 release window and hasn't been seen since. However, new information indicates that the game is still in development and was not scrapped as part of the recent Xbox layoffs and game cancellations. 

Avalanche Studios has begun posting new job listings, looking for developers to work on an upcoming “AAA co-op open world action game”. That description just so happens to perfectly fit Contraband, the only publicly announced game currently in development at Avalanche Studios.

The job listings also indicate that Contraband will feature live-service elements, with multiplayer features planned around ‘player acquisition, engagement and retention', naturally, monetisation also slots in to the ‘live service' package.

Contraband has not been shown since its reveal in 2021. No further details about the game have been shared by Xbox or Avalanche Studios, but considering how long it has been, we would expect the game to re-appear in the next year or two.

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KitGuru Says: Contraband could be fun but live service games nowadays face an uphill battle. 

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