Summary
Following the disastrous launch ofPayday 3, Starbreeze Studios' CEO Tobias Sjögren is resigning from the company. Sjögren led the studio for three years, overseeing the development ofPayday 3and the ongoing live-service support ofPayday 2, which remains one of the most active multiplayer games on Steam.
Sadly,Payday 3has not enjoyed the successof its predecessor. The game has been plagued by serious technical issues since its release in 2023, with many players not even able to connect to the game’s servers. Starbreeze has been steadfast in its support for the title, laying out a long-term roadmap and issuing regular updates, which have addressed some of players' most common complaints, but the game still isn’t where it should be, per Starbreeze’s admission. As it stands,Payday 3’s concurrent player count is dwarfed byPayday 2, which released in 2013.
Amid the fight to redeemPayday 3,IGNreports that Sjögren has stepped down, and is to be replaced by board member Juergen Goeldner in the interim. Starbreeze Chariman Torgny Hellström, who issued the statement, did not citePayday 3’s poor performanceas the reason for Sjögren’s departure, instead stating that the company’s “execution of strategy needs a different leadership.” Hellström would go on to thank Sjögren for his support during “a challenging phase of [Starbreeze’s] development.”
Starbreeze’s CEO Is Out While the Studio Continues Work On Major Projects
With Sjögren out and the company’s strategy potentially shifting direction, it’s unclear what will become ofPayday 3. WhilePayday 3will still get supportfrom Starbreeze in the form of server updates, bug fixes, content drops, and general post-launch polish, it’s unlikely that Starbreeze expects a major sea change for the game. It’s certainly possible for Swedish developer to turn things around, andPayday 3could ultimately become a success story, but Starbreeze, publisher Plaion, and parent company Embracer Group are most likely not betting on this outcome, especially whenPayday 2is apparently in the midst of a renaissance; perhaps the company will choose to instead shift support to the 2013 game to retain its dedicated playerbase.
In the meantime, Starbreeze will continue working on anuntitledDungeons and Dragonsgame, which could supplant thePaydayseries as the company’s premier live-service multiplayer title. This game, along with the future ofPayday 3andPayday 2, may be shaped by the leadership of Sjögren’s permanent replacement, who has not yet been announced.
Payday 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crew’s reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.The legendary Payday Crew, dreaded by the law and underworld alike, is back. Ripped from their peaceful retirement to rejoin the criminal world by a new threat, one born from the chaos the Crew left in their wake. In order to identify and crush this new threat, the Crew is leaving their Washington DC roots behind them and moving to New York City. A new location will bring with it new challenges, but also new opportunities for a heister with a plan.A professional heister knows it takes planning, hard work and a good amount of luck in order to execute a successful heist. In PAYDAY 3 the choice is put in the hands of the players, deciding how to tackle the heist, whether you sneak or go in guns blazing, whether you let your hostages go or keep them around as pawns, whether you go at it alone or bring friends. The choices are endless and in your hands, they will vastly change how the game plays.
