‘Payday 3’ has been confirmed, but don’t expect it anytime soon

By Gabe Gurwin Published February 17, 2017

Swedish developer Starbreeze Studios, best known for its Payday series of crime-focused first-person shooters, has revealed that Payday 3 is officially in development. However, don’t expect to see the game anytime soon, as no release window was offered with the announcement.

“It is with great satisfaction that we also can announce that Payday 3 production is officially initiated and at a full design stage. I’d like to especially clarify that this project will enjoy as much time as we deem needed,” Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint said in a year-end report. “This is our single most important brand today and the cornerstone of our business and we will treat is accordingly. Updates in the future might be scarce and far between. You simply don’t rush Payday 3.”

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The emphasis on not rushing Payday 3 likely stems from the headaches Starbreeze endured following the console release of Payday 2 in 2015. The Xbox One version in particular was rife with matchmaking issues, making the game essentially unplayable. Fans still complained of problems going into the next year, and it currently sits at an abysmal 3.3 user score on Metacritic.

Starbreeze also clarified that Payday’s mobile spinoff, Payday: Crime War, is still in development, but production has moved to BadFly Interactive in addition to a new Starbreeze Barcelona studio. BadFly itself drew controversy earlier this year when it threatened to blacklist websites that gave its game Dead Effect 2 a poor review score.

Outside of traditional game development, Starbreeze also continues to experiment with virtual reality. A VR center in Los Angeles, made in partnership with IMAX, is underway, and will include John Wick Chronicles: Arcade Edition for players to try out. If all goes well, more location-based VR centers will pop up around the United States in the future. The studio has also entered the publishing space and is working with Double Fine to release the long-awaited Psychonauts 2.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Don’t let these 3 October hidden gaming gems fly under your radar

hidden gem video games october 2023

Heading into October, it was no secret that this month was going to be one of the most hectic ever for video games. Several notable game franchises are receiving brand new entries; this week alone saw the arrival of a new Assassin’s Creed game and the opening of early access for Forza Motorsport. Still, these flashy AAA games are far from the only ones to be coming out right now, and even just eight days into the month, we recognize that some fantastic games have already flown under the radar.
Particularly for those who like games that force them to think strategically, the first week of October featured three new games that haven’t gotten the attention of Forza Motorsport and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but still deserve it: Silent Hope, The Lamplighters League, and Wargroove 2. These are three solid games that are worth a play while you're waiting for Spider-Man and Mario.
The Lamplighters League

Did you know that Harebrained Schemes, the developer behind fantastic strategy RPGs like the Shadowrun Trilogy and Battletech, put out a new game this week? Well, on October 3, the studio dropped The Lamplighters League, a supernatural strategy game inspired by the pulpy stories of the early 1900s. That’s reflected in the game’s cartoonish art style and charismatic voice acting, which I found very charming.
When it comes to gameplay, it’ll be familiar to those who played Harebrained’s previous games or the XCOM series. Players can sneak around in real time between fights. During those segments, they can explore, take in more of the world and lore, properly position their soldiers, and even pick off some enemies before an encounter begins using each character’s unique abilities. This setup makes The Lamplighters League’s missions more intense and sprawling than its peers.
Although it’s not revelatory for the strategy game genre, it makes you feel like the mastermind behind an eclectic team of spies outsmarting overwhelming forces working against them. While many of this month’s biggest releases are fast-paced, action-focused romps, The Lamplighters League will make you stop, think cleverly, and soundly execute smart tactical strategies to complete a mission with as few mishaps or casualties as possible.
The Lamplighters League is now available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It’s also available via Xbox Game Pass.
Wargroove 2

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The best heists to grind in Payday 3

Players fight in a vault in Payday 3

There are many different types of missions in Payday 3, but your overall goal remains consistent: make as much money as possible. Cash isn't just a way to measure how well you did in a heist, but is obviously a currency you need if you want to unlock any of the game's many weapons or cosmetic items to customize your theif. This makes earning money equally as important as leveling up and getting new skills since, no matter how good you are, you can't upgrade your arsenal without it. There are a decent number of jobs to take at launch, but not all are created equal in terms of potential profit. Even those that seem like they will give you the most cash may not be the most efficient. If you and your crew want to grind out money as fast as possible in Payday 3, these are the jobs to take.
Most profitable heists

Before looking at the heists themselves, it should be noted that every heist you do can be made more profitable by increasing the difficulty level. Obviously, this will also increase the challenge, and beyond the normal level, we would only recommend it if you have a good loadout and team of friends with you as opposed to joining up with random people online. If you're unprepared, it can also make heists take longer, which is another factor you will need to consider.
Road Rage
Road Rage is an early job you can attempt that is also the first one where there's no stealth option at all. You start this mission already masked up and on alert. The objective here is to break into an armored truck full of rare-earth elements that is set to cross the Queesnboro Bridge, which just so happens to be under construction. On normal difficulty, you can potentially between $200,000 and $500,000, but bump that up to Overkill and you can stand to walk away with $850,000 in a single job. You might wonder why this is the top when there are other jobs with higher potential payouts, but that's because this mission, once understood, can be done and dusted in 10 to 15 minutes.

Gaming

Will Payday 3 get an offline mode?

Character posing for Payday 3 promo art.

It's no secret to anyone who attempted to play Payday 3 near its launch that it had more than a few issues. This co-op shooter is built on the idea of you and three friends teaming up to pull off various heists to collect money, level up, and unlock new skills -- and then repeat it all on higher difficulty levels. However, due to some major server issues, the majority of people haven't been able to find matches at all, leading to a major outcry for an offline mode since there's no way to interact with the game otherwise. As of now, the game remains an always-online experience. Fortunately, developer Starbreeze Studios has been quick to respond to player feedback, but do its plans include an offline mode?
Is Payday 3 getting an offline mode?

At a developer live stream on September 25, Almir Listo, global brand director for Starbreeze, said there are currently no plans to create an offline mode for Payday 3. Listo further explained the server issues that had been occurring so far, stating that "Payday 3 matchmaking infrastructure has not performed as tested and expected. Matchmaking software encountered an unforeseen error which made it unable to handle the massive influx of players. The issue caused an unrecoverable situation for Starbreeze's matchmaking partners." The team is evaluating all solutions in both the short and long term, including seeking out new matchmaking partners.