Xbox and Avalanche Studios have stopped “active development” on their upcoming “Contraband” video game. First announced by Microsoft Gaming in 2021, “Contraband” is described as “a co-op smuggler's paradise set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan.

Several other studios at Xbox, including Candy Crush developer King, Call of Duty makers Raven Software and Sledgehammer Games, Halo Studios, and Forza Motorsport developer Turn10 Studios, were hit with layoffs, as well. The entire Forza Motorsport team was reportedly laid off.

Contraband - a game under development by Avalanche Studios (Just Cause) - has been suddenly cancelled by Microsoft.