Starbreeze Studios, the team behind Payday 3, has shared news of a major internal change that directly impacts the game’s ongoing development. Payday 3, a cooperative first-person shooter launched in 2023, continues the story of the iconic heist crew from its 2013 predecessor. The game features the return of original characters—Dallas, Chains, Wolf, and Hoxton—alongside Joy, Houston, Clover, Jacket, and newcomer Pearl.
The Swedish studio, known for previous titles like Payday 2, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, is also currently developing a Dungeons & Dragons game in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast, slated for release in 2026. As a bonus for fans, Payday 3 was featured as one of February 2025’s free PlayStation Plus games, alongside titles like Pac-Man World: Re-Pac and High on Life.
In a recent blog post, Starbreeze announced that it has officially taken over publishing rights for Payday 3. This follows earlier reports suggesting the studio planned to scale back investment in the game’s second year. According to the statement, Starbreeze and former publisher Plaion reached a mutual agreement, with the acquisition funded through newly issued company shares. Roughly SEK 29 million (around $3 million) was allocated to repay Plaion and resolve outstanding financial obligations.
Starbreeze Takes Full Control of Payday 3 Publishing Rights
Following Starbreeze’s acquisition of Payday 3’s publishing rights, board member Thomas Lindgren expressed that the move would help the studio “significantly accelerate [its] content development roadmap” and open up new strategic possibilities for the Payday franchise. The sequel’s launch was less than ideal, with Payday 3 receiving a wave of negative reviews on Steam due to matchmaking and server issues, alongside community requests for an offline mode to play solo.
Fans of Payday 3 should keep an eye on May 26, as the developers hinted at new content dropping on that date. This announcement seems like a direct response to player demands for fresh material, signaling a more promising future for Payday 3 with ongoing content updates and a shift in development focus.