One might sarcastically call this “recycling,” but it’s not entirely clear whether that’s the right term in this case.

Contraband is a game that Avalanche was originally set to develop for Xbox Game Studios, but the project was ultimately canceled. The studio is best known for the Just Cause franchise, and although we know that Just Cause 4 was not particularly well received, it is somewhat difficult to believe that the developers had not planned a new installment. However, the publisher, Square Enix, is likely to blame, since it owns the IP, and if it says no, Avalanche cannot do anything about it.

The video embedded below shows that files from the canceled Contraband have surfaced in TheHunter: Call of the Wild, which was originally released in December 2016. But that’s developed by Expansive Worlds! So what does this have to do with Avalanche? Simple: Avalanche Studios serves as the publisher, meaning the studio is involved in the project. Contraband was announced in 2021 and then canceled last year without a single screenshot ever being released.

However, the video showcases concepts for larger locations, the big city, mission locations, vehicles, assets, caves, test platforms and gameplay concepts, so quite a few elements appeared in the hunting-focused game. On SteamDB, this content was hidden under Call of the Wild: The Angler, making it a surprisingly clever way of concealing elements from the announced and unfortunately now-canceled game.

In any case, it’s a shame that Contraband is over. It might have put Avalanche in a better position, and the studio could certainly have used a success, although it likely would have been an Xbox exclusive due to the publisher and financier. But since both Sony and Microsoft have started moving in this direction again, perhaps it could have enjoyed some success. Perhaps.

Source: SteamDB