PayDay 3 Sold Badly, But Enough to Make Some Money. The Game Will Get Mode That Fans Were Waiting For
A financial report released by the Starbreeze studio shows that the developers of the PayDay series have finally started to record profits after several tough years. The developers also presented a plan to improve the quality of their flagship game.
The Swedish studio Starbreeze is a perfect example that it's never worth giving up. The company, which was heading for bankruptcy in 2018, not only managed to stay on the market but also regained profitability. This is quite an achievement, especially considering the disastrous launch of PayDay 3.
From Starbreeze's financial report for 2023, we learn that this cooperative shooter generated $3.5 million in sales revenue in the fourth quarter.Since its release in September, it has managed to generate a total of $45.7 million in revenue.
So, the problematic title made a substantial contribution to the company's overall revenue, which amounted to $60.6 million in 2023. This results in a remarkable 396 percent year-over-year growth.
And while the above results are nothing to be ashamed of, the devs believe that PayDay 3 failed. Starbreeze studio CEO Tobias Sjogren said that the game's sales and the number of active players "are at a much lower level than expected." However, the Swedes have no intention of giving up and have already announced a comprehensive overhaul of their flagship game.
The cure for PayDay 3's problems is the Medic Bag operation. One of its key elements will be the offline mode, highly anticipated by fans. Besides that, the game will also feature a quick-play mode. Matchmaking, user interface, and technical conditions are all set to be improved. The devs plan to replace the current progress system, which is based on completing specific challenges, with another solution because they believe "it didn't achieve the intended goals."
Solo mode will be implemented in two phases. The first one will still require a connection to the servers for syncing progress and unlocking equipment items, but there will be an option to skip the player-matching system. Over time, the solo mode will work fully offline (only occasionally, it will be necessary to connect to the network to synchronize your progress).
The developers have also promised that the game will get an additional free heist and three expansions this year. The Starbreeze studio has taken into consideration the players' dissatisfaction caused by the high price of the Syntax Error DLC and has promised to "review the cost of future expansions."
You can find more details about the Medic Bag operation here.
