Starbreeze passes Payday 2 over to a new developer, but it couldn't be in better hands

I feel my bones creaking as I say this, but Payday 2 is 12 years old. Ugh. Despite its age, it's still going strong - even some of the biggest names on our best co-op games list would kill for the kind of longevity it's enjoyed. It's going so strong, in fact, that it's continually embarrassing its successor, Payday 3, which is still struggling to reach the same heights despite dozens of updates, major reworks, and plenty of new heists. Knowing that something needs to change, Starbreeze has decided to put even more behind Payday 3 in order to turn the ship around, but to do so, it's passing Payday 2 over to a new studio. However, it couldn't be in safer hands.

While I understand that Steam stats don't paint a complete picture for any multi-platform game, the gulf between Payday 2 and Payday 3 on Valve's platform is stark. Excitement for the newer game was high at launch, but within a couple of weeks player counts tumbled to well below the daily numbers Payday 2 was achieving due to a litany of performance and gameplay issues. It's a trend that's continued ever since Payday 3's launch over two years ago.

Some serious, commendable work has gone into Payday 3 as Starbreeze targets a redemption arc for the game. But so far, it hasn't been enough, and now Starbreeze wants to go all-in. It recently canceled a Dungeons and Dragons project and pledged to put more behind Payday 3 going forward, and now we're seeing the next step in that plan.

Future support for Payday 2 is being handed off to Sidetrack Games, formerly known as Lion Game Lion and M.U.G. Team. Not only is it the studio behind co-op game Raid: World War II, it's also responsible for creating several pieces of DLC content for the Payday franchise. In an announcement post, Starbreeze reassures that Sidetrack "[knows] the Payday 2 engine inside and out" and that it's well-placed to deliver "quality updates over a long time."

Sidetrack will now be supporting both Raid: World War II and Payday 2 simultaneously, and in its own announcement post, it describes the move as "a big opportunity for us."

Sidetrack's first big moment as Payday 2's custodians will actually arrive later this week. It's cooked up the game's next update, which will drop Thursday, October 23, and is "focused on the stability of the game and improving the overall player experience."

I really do hope this shift leads to some good times for Payday 3 - given the work that's been poured into it already, I'd love to see it earn a spot alongside its older brother on our best crime games list. If you want to check out more titles that you can play with (or against) your pals, head to our best multiplayer games guide.

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