The Heist That Never Ends: Payday 2 Gets a New Lease on Life
Just when you thought the book was closed on Payday 2, Starbreeze has announced they’re pulling the old crew back together for one more score. In a surprise blog post titled “The Next Chapter,” the company revealed a new partnership with Sidetrack Games to continue supporting the decade-old co-op shooter with fresh updates. The first of these new patches is set to go live on October 23, promising a wave of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes for the PC version of the game.
On the surface, this is great news for the game’s still-dedicated player base. But coming so soon after the catastrophic launch of its sequel, Payday 3, the announcement has been met with a healthy dose of suspicion and a lot of questions from a weary community.
A Strange Time for a Comeback
The timing of this announcement is impossible to ignore. Payday 3 launched in a notoriously poor state, plagued by server issues, a lack of content, and unpopular changes to the core formula that alienated many long-time fans. The result? The player count for the brand-new sequel has cratered, and in a deeply ironic twist, more people are regularly playing the 12-year-old Payday 2 than its successor.
This move is seen by many as a tacit admission of Payday 3‘s failures. It appears Starbreeze is attempting to win back goodwill (and revenue) by returning to the game that the community still loves. However, the reaction has been mixed. While some players are happy to see the classic get more support, many others are cynical, viewing it as a desperate attempt to squeeze more life out of an old cash cow instead of fixing the new game they just paid for.
The Community Is Divided: “I Won’t Back Them Anymore”
The sentiment in the community is best summed up by one of the top comments on the Reddit announcement: “I won’t back them anymore.” Many fans feel burned by the Payday 3 experience and are now looking elsewhere for their next-generation heist fix. That “elsewhere” has a name: Den of Wolves.
This upcoming co-op heist game is being developed by 10 Chambers, a studio founded by Ulf Andersson, the original creator of the Payday franchise. It’s staffed by many of the veteran developers who made the first two Payday games so beloved. For a large portion of the disenfranchised Payday community, Den of Wolves is the true spiritual successor to the series, and they are encouraging others to support it instead of giving Starbreeze another chance.
Conclusion
Starbreeze is in a difficult position. By reinvesting in Payday 2, they are acknowledging where their player base currently is, but they also risk sending the message that they’ve given up on fixing Payday 3. This new partnership with Sidetrack Games could be a genuine effort to serve a loyal community, or it could be a calculated business move to salvage what they can from a failed launch. For now, the future of the Payday franchise is murkier than ever. All we know for sure is that on October 23, the classic heisters are getting back in the game, whether the community is ready to trust them again or not.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Payday 2 getting new content?
Starbreeze has announced a partnership with Sidetrack Games to provide ongoing support for the PC version of Payday 2. This will start with quality-of-life improvements and general game fixes, with the first update scheduled for October 23.
2. Why is this happening now?
This announcement comes after the very poorly received launch of Payday 3, which has seen its player count drop significantly. Many believe this is a move by Starbreeze to reconnect with the player base that has returned to the older, more popular Payday 2.
3. What has the community reaction been?
The reaction has been mixed. Some fans are happy for the continued support of a classic game, but many are skeptical and feel it’s a sign that the developers are not prioritizing fixing the deeply flawed Payday 3.
4. What is Sidetrack Games?
Sidetrack Games is the new studio that Starbreeze is partnering with to handle the development of new updates for Payday 2.
5. What is Den of Wolves?
Den of Wolves is an upcoming co-op heist game from developer 10 Chambers. The studio was founded by the original creator of Payday, and many former Payday developers are working on the project. It is seen by many fans as the true spiritual successor to the Payday series.
6. Has development on Payday 2 ever stopped before?
Yes, development of new content for Payday 2 was officially halted in December 2018 due to financial issues at Starbreeze. However, work resumed in late 2019 and has continued in various forms since then.