We've got some sad news to bring your way this afternoon, folks. Avalanche Studios, the team behind Just Cause and the now-cancelled Xbox exclusive Contraband, will close its UK branch imminently amidst widespread layoffs at the company.
The developer shared a short message about this today, September 30th, as it prepares to launch a consultation process over the UK-based closure. Avalanche's wider job loss plans will also affect the company's Malmö and Stockholm studios over in Sweden.
Last month, Microsoft officially "stopped" development on its Xbox title Contraband, which was originally announced all the way back in 2021. Just a month prior to the halting of its development, we'd heard details of a new role on the team heading up the game's live service plans - but ultimately, the game and those post-launch plans never came to pass.
Finally, Avalanche closes out its statement be reassuring fans that the studio "remains deeply committed to providing amazing games to our passionate player communities" - it's just unfortunate that Xbox is no longer helping one of those games come to life in Contraband.