Xbox Exclusive Contraband Hit By Trouble Following Art Director’s Exit

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Avalanche Studios’ upcoming Xbox console exclusive title, Contraband, has been hit by trouble following the departure of its art director.

The LinkedIn profile of Thomas Klingström, former art director on Contraband at Avalanche Studios, has revealed that he is no longer working at the studio, suggesting that the Xbox console exclusive’s development may be in a troubled state. The developer now works as the art director at Lightspeed Studios.

Klingström was a creative leader on Contraband, responsible for setting artistic vision and visual identity.  At Avalanche Studios, he was part of the core team, which helped conceptualize and pitch the IP to Xbox Game Studios  with a focus on compelling art and visual narrative. Furthermore, he oversaw multiple creative work streams during production, including creating and managing visual development, art briefs and documentation, and full concept development.

Back in June, during an episode of the XNC Podcast, Xbox community member Middleagegamegy mentioned hearing that Contraband had been delayed well into 2025, possibly the end of the year. According to him, the people that played the game claimed it is “fun and great”. Though, he noted that it was a very early build, and that the cars featured in the co-op multiplayer game didn’t even have drivers in them at the time. Furthermore, The Verge’s Tom Warren, had dropped a comment during the stream, saying with certainty that Contraband is indeed far from release, lending further credibility to the Xbox community member’s information.

Given how Contraband isn’t anywhere near close to its release, Klingström’s departure comes as rather surprising. It’s unclear whether his role has been replaced or if his work had already been finished prior to his exit from Avalanche Studios.

Contraband is an upcoming cooperative multiplayer game currently in development by Avalanche Studios for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PCs. Announced back in June, 2021, the game is described as a “co-op smuggler’s paradise” that is set within the fictional world of 1970s Bayan. It is being developed using the next-generation Apex Engine, the same engine behind the Just Cause series.