One Year Post-Payday 3’s Challenging Launch, Starbreeze Reduces Game Team Size Without Immediate Layoffs

Starbreeze is cutting down the team size on Payday 3, a decision that doesn’t come as a huge shock to many. Payday 3’s launch was riddled with issues, and Starbreeze, well aware of this misstep, is attempting to win back its fanbase. But this endeavor will proceed with fewer hands on deck, as highlighted in an interim report from Mats Juhl, the acting CEO of Starbreeze. Juhl explains in the report that, “over the coming months, our investment will be reduced as we conclude ‘Operation Medic Bag’ for Payday, moving into Year 2 with a leaner team that’s dedicated to rolling out new content for the game.”

Juhl didn’t delve into specifics on how these changes might impact the game, like if updates will become less frequent or scaled down. However, the mention of “continuously” suggests that we can still expect ongoing updates, albeit potentially on a different scale. The report makes it a point to state that Starbreeze is “financially strong,” and fortunately, there’s no mention of layoffs, which might indicate that employees are being allocated to other projects rather than facing job cuts. Juhl also expressed that recent DLCs for the game have been positively received, hinting that there might be a silver lining for Starbreeze after all.

Interestingly, the “relatively stable sales of Payday 2” are lending a hand to bolster the less impressive performance of Payday 3. This isn’t all that surprising considering that many players have found themselves returning to the familiarity of the second installment.

The report further touches on Project Baxter, which is rooted in the beloved Dungeons & Dragons universe and is apparently “moving full steam ahead.” Internal playtests are actively being conducted, and discussions are underway with key industry players about possible collaborations concerning Baxter’s development and launch.

In the meantime, the hope is that everyone keeps their jobs so the already high number of layoffs this year doesn’t creep up any further.