Microsoft has stopped development on Contraband, an upcoming title from Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios.

News of the game’s development was initially reported by Steven Totilo as part of his Game File newsletter, with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier also confirming these reports. While Microsoft declined to comment on the game’s fate, a Game File source has said the title is now “on hold” and that the developer aims to avoid cancellations as much as possible.

Following various reports, developer Avalanche released a statement, confirming that the game’s development is currently on hold.

“Over the past several years, Avalanche Studios Group and Xbox Game Studios Publishing have collaborated on Contraband,” the statement 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 will give an update on what’s next as soon as we can.”

Announced in 2021, Contraband was described as a “co-op smuggler’s paradise” set in the 1970s, with game director Omar Shakir calling it the studio’s “most ambitious and spectacular game to date”. However, in the four years following its reveal, little to nothing has been said about the game.

Contraband’s halted development is the latest game to suffer from a wave of job cuts and game cancellations enacted at Xbox last month.