Starbreeze Studios has acquired the publishing rights to its beleaguered heist sequel Payday 3, insisting the move will enable it to “accelerate content development and pursue broader business opportunities” for the franchise “as a whole”.
Payday 3 got off to a disastrous start when it launched in September 2023, struggling with serious matchmaking issues, unpopular online-only requirements, and a repeatedly delayed first major patch. Its player count quickly plummeted and has been consistently dwarfed by its predecessor since then, with Starbreeze last year admitting numbers were “at significantly lower levels than [it] would like”. Just a month later, CEO Tobias Sjögren was ousted by the board and a new Payday 3 creative leadership team was brought in last December.
It’s in that context Starbreeze has now “reached a mutual agreement” with former Payday 3 publisher Plaion that’ll enable the studio to fully acquire the publishing rights to the game. To finance the transaction, Starbreeze has announced it’s issuing new shares worth SEK 33m, with SEK 29m of the proceeds (approximately £2.3m) going toward repaying Plaion under the previous Payday 3 agreement, and “settling certain outstanding claims”.
In a statement accompanying the news, board member Thomas Lindgren said Starbreeze’s Payday 3 acquisition would enable it to “significantly accelerate [its] content development roadmap, and pursue broader strategic opportunities for the Payday franchise as a whole.”
Additionally, Starbreeze – which is currently also working on a Dungeons & Dragons game – has suggested more Payday could be on the way, despite the latest instalment’s struggles. “While this agreement marks the conclusion of the current publishing arrangement,” the studio wrote in its announcement, “it also lays the groundwork for a long-term partnership between Starbreeze and Plaion on future Payday franchise projects.”
Eurogamer contributor Vikki Blake awarded Payday 3 three out of five stars in 2023, calling it a “shallow shooter that doesn’t offer anywhere near enough bang for your ill-gotten buck.”