Starbreeze: Last News

Payday 3 developer Starbreeze has fired its CEO, Tobias Sjögren, following the underperformance of the heist-themed first-person shooter.In a notice to investors, Starbreeze stated it has appointed Juergen Goeldner as interim CEO. Goeldner is the former Focus Entertainment CEO and has over 40 years of experience in the video game industry.

Payday 3 is adding two levels from Payday 2 to the game as part of a free update later this month.Developer Starbreeze Entertainment announced the news in a post on its website, which revealed the update will “reimagine” two classic heists: Cook Off, which tasks players with batch-cooking methamphetamine, and stealthy robbery Turbid Station.The developer added that the update, currently scheduled for release in November 2023, is planned to have a “new skill line, brand new first-person interaction animations, Infamy Points to heist payout, two new banging tracks from Gustavo Coutinho and more than 200 additional bug fixes and improvements”.There’s no official word on when to expect this update other than November of this year, but Starbreeze Entertainment has been patching Payday 3 following its launch troubles.Upon release, the game was criticised for bugs, server issues, and slow progression. A major complaint was from PlayStation owners, who reported that they couldn’t access special pre-order bonuses at all.We gave Payday 3 three stars in our review, and criticised its lack of heists and shallow stealth.“Payday 3 is brilliant fun, but it wears thin very fast,” the review reads.

Starbreeze Studios has claimed that matchmaking issues with Payday 3 have been fixed, following the heist shooter’s rocky launch last month.Following its release on September 21, Payday 3 struggled with significant server issues that prevented players from matchmaking and starting heists. Due to the game’s always-online nature, this meant Payday 3 has been frequently unplayable, and last week Starbreeze claimed a third-party matchmaking partner was responsible for the errors.Today (October 2), a post on Starbreeze’s website announced that “initial matchmaking issues” have since been fixed, and the studio “will now intensify the commercial activities around Payday 3“.Tobias Sjögren, the CEO of Starbreeze Entertainment, also thanked players for their “patience” with Payday‘s launch.“Our community is the engine that drives both our games and our company forward,” he shared.

Payday 3‘s launch issues have been so severe that Starbreeze is considering removing its controversial always-online requirement.Payday 3, which launched for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on September 21, became a trending topic on social media sites like X for sporadic server connections, crashes, persistent matchmaking issues and incorrect versions of the game being playable on PS5.Given that it had been a decade since Payday 2, these problems irked players who had been awaiting the third game with a lot of anticipation. Starbreeze’s CEO said that the team would “work tirelessly” to ensure that Payday 3 would meet their expectations once more following these unfortunate incidents.In an official statement, the developer explained that “matchmaking software encountered an unforeseen error” and that this overloaded the third-party matchmaking partner that handled the game.It reiterated that this issue did not manifest in either the technical beta or early access periods for Payday 3 and that the team is dedicated to resolving it in the immediate.“In the short-term, this means Starbreeze’ focus is to ensure the player experience.

Starbreeze has taken out the anti-piracy software Denuvo from Payday 3, as stated in a short announcement to Steam.“Hello heisters, we want to inform you that Denuvo is no longer in Payday 3,” said the developer. “We look forward to seeing you in New York City! Happy heisting!”Payday 3 is set to be released for PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on September 21, so Starbreeze only just managed to make the change before the fans descend onto the game.In addition, it offered no reason for the omission, though it is likely to be music to the ears of some of Payday 3′s potential players.

Starbreeze disclosed the details for the forthcoming Payday 3 playtests on PC and Xbox Series X, offering some players the opportunity to get to grips with the game.Applications to enter the closed beta — that begins on August 2 and ends on August 7 — will be randomly approved, according to the studio. It will feature the new heist “No Rest for the Wicked” with the characters Chains, Dallas, Hoxton and Wolf.