Image: Push Square
Avalanche Studios is best known for its Just Cause series, but has unfortunately been in the news lately because the game it was working on has been shelved.
That game is Contraband, announced back in 2021 and pegged as a “smuggler’s paradise” co-op experience.
The Xbox exclusive is no longer happening, leading many to think Avalanche could perhaps fall back on its established Just Cause franchise. Unfortunately, it seems that won’t be happening either.
Christofer Sundberg, who co-founded Avalanche Studios but no longer works there, commented on Contraband’s cancellation, and also shared his thoughts on a hypothetical Just Cause 5, on social media:
“Me and my team pitched Contraband back in 2017 to [Microsoft] (and signed it). It’s changed quite a lot since then obviously, but it would have been fantastic to see it being released one day somehow. [Just Cause 5] would be a no-go since extremely few from the original team are there still.”
Sundberg says that, because most of the team that built Just Cause has now moved on from Avalanche, the chances of another sequel are slim.
Replying to a fan who thinks Just Cause 5 could save the studio, Sundberg disagrees. “I doubt it. They need to find the fire again, take risks, p*** people off and make games the rest said was impossible. I started Avalanche to break the mold, not to fit into one.”
It sounds unlikely we’re getting another Just Cause game, then — even if that might seem like a logical next step for Avalanche Studios.
What do you think of this? Would you be interested in a Just Cause 5? Tell us in the comments section below.