Back in July, Xbox boss Phil Spencer described the actions taken as "tough decisions," claiming Xbox's "platform, hardware, and game roadmap have never looked stronger" despite the seeming instability of the Xbox Game Studios umbrella.

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.

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.