a day ago
Microsoft kills another Xbox exclusive but Hideo Kojima's OD is still alive
Microsoft has confirmed another Xbox exclusive is no longer in active development, but the studio is avoiding the term 'cancelled'.
A slew of Xbox layoffs last month led to the cancellation of various games, including Project Dark, Everwild, and the unannounced Blackbird.
Those cancellations put a big question mark over the future of other Xbox-published games, and while we still don't have an answer on some of them, like State Of Decay 3, the fate of two other games have now been revealed.
Unfortunately, it's bad news for Contraband from Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios, which is no longer in active development.
While Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier initially reported that 'Xbox is cancelling Contraband', a subsequent statement from the studio leaves it on a more ambiguous note.
'Over the past several years, Avalanche Studios Group and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have collaborated on Contraband,' a statement on the studio's website reads. 'Active development has now stopped while we evaluate the project's future.
'We're thankful for the excitement we've seen from the community since we announced and we will give an update on what's next as soon as we can.'
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
Contraband was revealed in a cinematic trailer in 2021 but nothing has been shown of it since. It was described as a 'co-op smuggler's paradise set in the fictional world 1970s reality', directed by Just Cause 4 writer Omar Shakir.
Considering Microsoft hasn't been shy about explicitly cancelling games, it's difficult to gauge whether the vague phrasing means there's a future for Contraband or if it's just an attempt at damage control. Either way, we wouldn't hold out much hope for the game's future. More Trending
Things seem more optimistic for Hideo Kojima's Xbox exclusive OD, which is apparently still in development. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the news to Schreier (via Bluesky), but there's still every chance it could be cancelled at a later date.
Announced in 2022, OD is a horror game written by Kojima and Get Out director Jordan Peele, starring Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier. A short trailer was released at The Game Awards in 2023 but nothing has been shown since.
Microsoft has a number of other games in development, including Gears Of War: E-Day, State Of Decay 3, Fable, Marvel's Blade, Keeper from Double Fine, and The Outer Worlds 2. The latter two are the only ones with specific release dates, set for later this year, but the rest all have ambigious 2026 windows or nothing at all.
As for Microsoft's future gaming plans, the company is set to launch its own handheld device, the ROG Xbox Ally, later this year – rumoured to be October 16.
Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
MORE: Battlefield 6 open beta review in progress – beautiful destruction
MORE: Ninja Gaiden 4 hands-on preview – the return of PlatinumGames
MORE: Starfield has been redeemed – by turning it into a huge Star Wars RPG
