Fresh images tied to Contraband, the scrapped Xbox-published co-op caper from Avalanche Studios, have appeared online via a former UI developer’s portfolio. The shots, rounded up by MP1st, offer our clearest look yet at the game’s presentation layer before cancellation, including a four-player squad setup, a lobby/matchmaking flow, and progression ranks labeled Hustler, Bandit, Smuggler, and Baron.
One screen also name-checks a “Downtown” location, implying a city-hub map sat within the game’s mission structure.
Stylistically, the interface leans into the project’s 1970s heist vibe: bold typography, poster-like character cards, and a grainy UI framing that sells the contraband-runner fantasy without showing raw gameplay. Some character portraits originated from older Marvel fan-art placeholders in the portfolio, so they shouldn’t be treated as final art direction (though they may indicate how far along the visual identity actually was).
All of this arrives in the wake of Contraband’s shutdown earlier this year.
Bottom line: Even without gameplay footage, the UI tells a story. Contraband was gearing up as a co-op first operation, where identity, rank, and a shared lobby mattered as much as guns and cars. It looks like the bones of a stylish heist sandbox; the tragedy is we’re seeing them in menus instead of motion.
