Starbreeze, the development studio behind the popular heist game Payday 2, has openly admitted to a significant blunder. This confession comes after the company introduced a new premium subscription service while simultaneously, and controversially, increasing the price of its substantial $100 DLC bundle by an eyebrow-raising 50%.
Just days prior, Starbreeze rolled out a new subscription offering. For $4.99 a month, or $19.99 for a six-month period, this service promised “full access to more than 65 DLCs, packed with heists, weapons, and cosmetics.” The company positioned it as a way for players to “explore Payday 2’s massive content library at their own pace, mastering the art of heisting one crime at a time,” emphasizing its flexible, cancel-anytime nature on Steam.
However, what went unannounced was the stealthy price increase of the ‘Payday 2 Infamous Collection.’ Without any public notification, Starbreeze had already bumped the bundle’s price from $100 to $150 at the start of September, mere weeks before unveiling the subscription. This quiet move did not go unnoticed by the community, who quickly voiced their anger, accusing the developer of attempting to discreetly raise prices.
Responding to the widespread backlash, Gustav Nisser, Starbreeze’s head of commercial operations, issued a statement to GameDeveloper. He candidly admitted that the company had “dropped the ball on coordinating internally and communicating with our community properly,” acknowledging their failure in handling the situation.
Nisser fully empathized with the players’ frustration, stating, “The negative reaction makes complete sense, and the community has made it clear how the price change and its timing looks from the outside.” He added, “We agree with the community, we messed up on this one, and we have reverted the price on the bundle effective immediately,” confirming the swift reversal of the price hike.
He further elaborated, reflecting on the situation: “In hindsight, we should have realized how it would seem.” Nisser pointed out that because the bundle only charges for unowned items and offers cumulative discounts, the actual final price can fluctuate significantly for individual players, suggesting this complexity contributed to the oversight.
In a direct message to their player base, affectionately dubbed ‘Heisters,’ Starbreeze shared on X/Twitter: “We’ve seen the feedback on the Infamy Collection pricing change that happened earlier this month, and have investigated. The pricing has been reverted to where it should be, and we apologize for this error,” directly addressing the community’s concerns.
Adding to the explanation, Starbreeze’s Haua took to Reddit, acknowledging skepticism. “I know that no one will believe me, but it was an error,” Haua wrote. “Regardless, the damage has been done, and we hope that with this adjustment back that anyone who was hoping to get any DLC can do so through the collection,” expressing hope for rebuilding trust.
Haua concluded by thanking the community for their vigilance: “We do appreciate everyone who flagged the issue, and kept talking about it! Keep up being you, guys, and we hope that we can earn back any trust that may have been lost with this,” aiming to mend relations with players.
While independent data from Steam.db verifies that the Infamous Collection’s price has been successfully restored, it remains unconfirmed whether players who purchased the bundle during the period of the 50% increase will be eligible for a refund or compensation for the overcharge.