Following 4 years of silence on Contraband, the Xbox unique sport from Simply Trigger studio Avalanche, introduced in 2021, Xbox cancelled the venture together with a bunch of different exclusives in July this yr.
The sport was described as “a co-op smuggler’s paradise set within the fictional world of Seventies Bayan” however little was identified about it past that.
Right now, Avalanche introduced mass layoffs on account of the cancellation.
“In mild of present challenges to our enterprise and the business, now we have thouroughly reviewed easy methods to greatest guarantee Avalanche Studios Group’s long-term success,” the corporate stated in a press release.
“This assessment has led us to the tough conclusion that we should make adjustments to our staffing and places. In consequence, we’re proposing to shut our Liverpool studio, and to provoke a collective session course of, as required by UK legislation.”
The assertion goes on to learn that the corporate may even scale back its workforce in Malmo and Stockholm. Sources near the scenario have instructed DBLTAP the redundancies might be a major proportion of the corporate’s present workforce and is a direct results of Contraband’s cancellation.
This follows the closure of its New York and Montreal studios final yr, leading to 50 redundancies. “That is an exceptionally tough determination, however we imagine it is necessary to make sure a steady and sustainable future for the corporate,” the corporate wrote on the time.
“Our focus is now on supporting all Avalanchers via this difficult time. We’re grateful for the invaluable contributions of these leaving and stay dedicated to creating unimaginable gaming experiences for our gamers.”
The Montreal studio solely opened its doorways eight months previous to its closure.
Learn extra: I used to be fallacious about Xbox and Microsoft, it’s worse than I assumed