Despite being a decade older than its successor, Payday 2 continues to capture the hearts of many players, a stark contrast to the challenges faced by Payday 3. To ensure the enduring popularity of the veteran heist game, publisher Starbreeze has now enlisted Sidetrack Games to spearhead future updates for Payday 2 on PC, aiming to keep its dedicated player base content and engaged.
Sidetrack Games, formerly known as the M.U.G. Team within the Payday modding scene, also contributed to updates for RAID: World War 2 post its initial launch. Starbreeze has confirmed that Sidetrack’s inaugural update for Payday 2 is scheduled for October 23, with a primary objective to enhance game stability and refine the overall player experience. Moving forward, players can anticipate further updates dedicated to quality-of-life enhancements and general game fixes.
Mark your calendars for October 23, as Starbreeze plans a special livestream to delve into the specifics of the upcoming patch and engage the community in shaping future enhancements for Payday 2. This transition frees up Starbreeze to focus exclusively on developing updates for Payday 3. The difference in player engagement is notable: Payday 2 consistently boasts tens of thousands of concurrent players, while its newer counterpart, Payday 3, struggles to maintain even 1,000 active users at any given moment.
In recent developments, Starbreeze made strategic shifts, including canceling its Dungeons & Dragons game and implementing layoffs to sharpen its focus on the beloved Payday franchise and other heist-themed titles. The company also introduced a Payday 2 subscription service, offering players monthly access to its extensive DLC catalog. This move followed an apology from Starbreeze for a previous price hike, which saw the Payday 2 DLC bundle temporarily jump to $170 before being reset to $118.
