Devs behind canceled Xbox game are hiring for an unannounced AAA open-world title — are they reviving one of my favorite action game franchises?

It's not uncommon for game studios to go quiet for several years as they work on their future projects, though one developer that's been silent for a particularly long time is Avalanche Studios. It hasn't released a game since 2019's ultraviolent shooter RAGE 2, and while it was developing what appeared to be a heist game called Contraband for Xbox, Microsoft canceled the project last year.

In the wake of Contraband's death, however, we've finally caught wind of what Avalanche Studios is cooking up next: an "unannounced AAA project" featuring an open-world structure.

That news comes from a new job Avalanche Studios job listing for a senior technical designer, with the developer noting that whoever gets the position "will play a vital role in the development of an unannounced AAA project." One of the job description's bullet points then mentioned "Scripting events, experiences, and systems in open-worlds."

It's worth noting that in a separate listing for a senior level designer position, Avalanche is looking for someone who can work "according to defined gameplay metrics to accommodate for fluid traversal and highly interactable combat in your levels."

If you're familiar with Avalanche's game portfolio, then your mind — like mine — likely instantly went to the Just Cause franchise. The bombastic open-world action series lines up with these descriptions perfectly, and since we've not had a new Just Cause game since 2018, one is long overdue.

For the unfamiliar, Just Cause is a series of free-roam action games that parody cheesy action movies and satirize Cold War-era US interventionism, with protagonist Rico Rodriguez infiltrating foreign dictatorships and dismantling them as destructively as possible with support from the US government.

The franchise's name draws the controversial Operation Just Cause to mind, though it has something of a double meaning; why blow everything in sight up? Well...Just Cause.

Featuring a colossal arsenal of weapons, vehicles, and gadgets as well as a trifecta of zippy movement options in Rico's grappling hook, wingsuit, and parachute, the Just Cause games are, at their core, a sandbox of explosive chaos. Its diverse, highly detailed environments are but a canvas — and armed to the teeth, you're free to paint it with as much carnage as you see fit.

2015's Just Cause 3 was quite popular in particular, though 2018's Just Cause 4 was viewed negatively by many due to severe performance issues that were never fully resolved. Since then, the franchise has been on hiatus, though it sounds like there's a very real chance a new installment is on the way based on these job listings.

The Just Cause games are pure high-octane fun, and are some of my all-time favorite action titles. Its long absence from the industry has really bummed me out, so I couldn't be happier to learn that we may finally be getting a new game in the coming years. Of course, that hasn't been confirmed yet, but I mean..."fluid traversal and highly interactable combat?" That's Rico. You can't convince me otherwise.

Are you a fan of the Just Cause series? Do you hope that Avalanche Studios' new game is another entry in the franchise? Share your thoughts in the comments, and in our poll, too.

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