Latest news with #Contraband
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Microsoft bloodbath continues 9,000 layoffs later with the death of Contraband, the '70s co-op game from the studio behind open-world hit Just Cause, and it seems Hideo Kojima's OD is the only thing that's safe
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Avalanche Studios has confirmed that development on Contraband, the Xbox-exclusive '70s co-op game, has ended. The news comes a month after mass layoffs at Microsoft affecting 9,000 employees, which included many in the gaming division and led to the cancellation of projects like Everwild and the long-delayed Perfect Dark. "Over the past several years, Avalanche Studios Group and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have collaborated on Contraband," the developer says in a statement. "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 will give an update on what's next as soon as we can." Insiders Jason Schreier and Stephen Totilo both report that the end of development was a Microsoft decision, though they say other Xbox publishing agreements with third-party studios – including Hideo Kojima's OD – are still alive. "Microsoft declined to provide a comment on the game's fate," Totillo says in his Game File newsletter, "but a source familiar with the matter noted that production—which is now 'on hold'—had been ongoing for five years and that the company avoids cancellations as much as possible." Contraband was announced back at E3 2021 – yes, the announcement is old enough that E3 still existed – with a brief teaser trailer and the promise of "a co-op smuggler's paradise." Effectively zero details on how the game would play were ever revealed, but Avalanche's pedigree in open-world chaos with titles like Just Cause and Mad Max had many hopeful about the possibilities of the studio taking on a co-op game. But it seems we'll never see what the studio had in store. "This is a monumental moment": Weeks after Microsoft laid off 9,000, Call of Duty devs vote to ratify union contract guaranteeing raises as the publisher pushes AI.
CBS News
08-08-2025
- CBS News
Attorney caught attempting to smuggle drugs to inmate at Michigan prison
Contraband material, including paper film suspected to be Suboxone, was confiscated after an attorney/client visit at Central Michigan Correctional Facility, the Michigan Department of Corrections said. "This recovery protected countless individuals from potential illness, overdose, or violence associated with the sale of these drugs or from those under the influence," MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington said. "I want to especially commend our officers, whose vigilance and dedication were instrumental in this drug bust." During the visit on Monday, an attorney was allegedly seen passing a package to a client who is currently incarcerated at the facility in St. Louis. After searching the prisoner, officers found 211 strips of paper film suspected to be Suboxone, 68 grams of a brown waxy substance and 45 grams of a white powder. Michigan State Police were called for further investigation, and a search of the attorney's car discovered additional Suboxone strips and white powder. Because the matter is still under investigation, officials have not released the names of the attorney or inmate. The corrections department did say the inmate is under discipline and investigation according to department policy. "As the nature of contraband continues to evolve, the department continues to implement effective strategies to deter and halt such illegal activities," Correctional Facility Administration Deputy Director Jeremy Bush said.
Metro
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
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
The Star
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Xbox drops work on 'Contraband' video game after four years
Xbox has said little about Contraband since the game was announced in 2021 with a vague teaser. It was described on the company's website as 'a co-op smuggler's paradise set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan'. — Photo by Sam Pak on Unsplash Microsoft Corp's Xbox gaming unit is cancelling Contraband , a multiplayer video game that was in development for years at the Swedish company Avalanche Studios Group. "Active development has now stopped while we evaluate the project's future,' Avalanche said Thursday in a statement on its website. "We're thankful for the excitement we've seen from the community since we announced and will give an update on what's next as soon as we can.' Xbox has said little about Contraband since the game was announced in 2021 with a vague teaser. It was described on the company's website as "a co-op smuggler's paradise set in the fictional world of 1970s Bayan'. Avalanche is best known for the Just Cause series, in which players parachute around a massive open world. The cancellation follows hundreds of job cuts at Xbox last month, as well as the axing of major titles that had been in development for years, including Perfect Dark , Everwild and an online game code-named Blackbird . – Bloomberg
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Xbox's ‘Contraband' Video Game on Hold After More Than Five Years in Development
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.' The title from Avalanche Studios and Xbox Game Studios was planned as an exclusive to Xbox Series S and X consoles, and set for release on Xbox Game Pass, Steam, and Windows 10 PC. More from Variety Xbox Console Sales Drop 22%, Game Pass and First-Party Titles Drive 10% Rise in Overall Microsoft Gaming Revenue Microsoft Abruptly Ceases Digital Movie and TV Sales Xbox Series X/S Deals: The Next-Gen Gaming Consoles Are Discounted for Prime Day Sources tell Variety that 'Contraband' production is on hold while the creative team behind the game figures out next steps for the title, which has been in the works for more than five years, and that no jobs at publisher Xbox are being impacted by the decision to put 'Contraband' development on hold. 'Over the past several years, Avalanche Studios Group and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have collaborated on 'Contraband,'' Avalanche Studios said in a statement titled 'An Update on 'Contraband'' posted to its website Thursday. '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 will give an update on what's next as soon as we can.' The news that development has been paused on 'Contraband' was first reported by Game File's Stephen Totilo. More to come… Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
