Just Cause Dev Avalanche closes Liverpool studio and sacks staff

In August, reports surfaced that Microsoft had paused development Contrabandis a cooperative smuggling game from Avalanche, the developer of Just Cause. At the time, some sources noted that Microsoft “Pause” production Rather than canceling it entirely. But now, with massive layoffs at Avalanche leading to the closure of its Liverpool studio, Contraband's fate seems sealed.

avalanche announcement on its official websiteand revealed that this means 31 developers will lose their jobs. In accordance with UK employment law, Avalanche initiated "collective bargaining process” and then continued to lay off employees and close studios. However, other parts of the company remained intact.

“The exceptional talent, passion and commitment of each person who left impacted every project,” Avalanche's message read. “We sincerely thank Avalanche Studios Group for their dedication and valuable contributions. Our focus remains on supporting (employees) through this transition and continuing to make great games for our community of players.”

Contraband was originally Announced during Xbox E3 presentation 2021. At the time, it was hailed as a AAA game set in the fictional country of Bayan in 2021. This isn't the only long-term game Microsoft has shut down this year. rare Naganothis perfect darkness restart, and New MMO from ZeniMax Online Studios They are all casualties of the purge operations. 9,000 people, including Xbox employees.

A recent report suggests that Microsoft's struggle to gain a foothold may be due to sky-high profit target This led to multiple waves of layoffs at the company.