Starbreeze Ousts CEO, Seeks New Leadership After Payday 3 Failure
- Disastrous launch of Payday 3 in 2023 with negative feedback and poor Steam rating.
- Payday 3's issues included broken servers, poor matchmaking and missing features.
- Declining popularity and sales despite developer's attempts to improve the game.
- Starbreeze's CEO replaced after Payday 3's failure.
- Starbreeze's turbulent past including a 2018 police raid and insider trading charges.
A Disastrous Launch for Payday 3
The anticipated release of Payday 3 in 2023 ended in disappointment, with the game receiving negative feedback from critics and players alike, and a poor rating on Steam. Fans of the series opted to return to Payday 2, abandoning the latest installment. In the aftermath of the failed sales expectations for Payday 3, Starbreeze's CEO has been replaced as the company seeks a change in leadership.
Payday 3's Shortcomings
Released in September 2023, Payday 3 was plagued by issues from the start, such as broken servers and poor matchmaking. PS5 players were left with an outdated version of the game. Even after stabilization, the game lacked several features, such as a solo option, quickplay match joining, and a player kicking system, leaving much to be desired for players.
Declining Popularity and Sales
Following these issues, the developers announced their plans to focus on adding missing features and improving the game’s progression and UI. However, this didn't prevent the game from failing to meet sales expectations. Most days, Payday 3 has fewer than 400 players online, whereas Payday 2 boasts over 25,000 active users. The poor launch and subsequent failure led to a leadership change at Starbreeze.
Leadership Changes at Starbreeze
In March 2024, Starbreeze announced that CEO Tobias Sjögren had been removed from his position. Board member and former Focus Home Interactive CEO Juergen Goeldner has been appointed as the interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.
Starbreeze's Eventful Past
Starbreeze has had a tumultuous few years, including a police raid in 2018 as part of an insider trading investigation. In 2020, the company's former CFO was convicted of insider trading charges, although he was later acquitted in 2021.
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