2020 may have been a troubling year for many, but for Swedish developer Starbreeze Studios it seems to have proven a breath of fresh air. After a difficult couple of years, the studio behind Payday 2 claims to have put the worst of it behind it, and may even be looking to announce a long-awaited sequel soon.
For a time, Starbreeze appeared to be in the midst of a riches-to-rags tragedy of sorts. After the successful release of Payday 2 all the way back in 2013, things seemed rosy for the company, but a badly-received Walking Dead title and allegations of insider trading in 2018 soon led to cost-cutting, layoffs and eventually filing for reconstruction to avoid bankruptcy.
By 2019 it looked like Starbreeze was due to close any minute as they continued shedding assets to keep themselves afloat, including selling an entire production company to Rockstar. In 2020, however, things started to look up, as the team returned to active development on Payday 2, rewarding their loyal fanbase with new content and starting to look for a new publisher for the sequel. In their end-of-year financial report, acting CEO Tobias Sjögren noted that their new business model had "really showed their muscles," allowing them to successfully raise capital and pay off a significant portion of their debts.
Due to their renewed financial position, Sjögren also mentioned that they would be able to continue development on Payday 3 alongside putting out new content for Payday 2 - in his words, "all key steps in putting Starbreeze back on the map as an industry leader." The search for a publisher for Payday 3 is ongoing, but Sjögren maintained that the company was "standing strong and confident in our efforts to close a publishing agreement with a partner that is as passionate about games as a service as Starbreeze is."
All in all, Starbreeze seems to have successfully picked itself up and dusted itself off, and is ready to rejoin the fray of the games industry. With Payday 2 still drawing players into its enormous online community even 8 years after its release, and the newly invigorated company determined to keep providing content and support for it, 2021 could well see Starbreeze continue to go from strength to strength.
Payday 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: Starbreeze Studios