Starbreeze Studios has announced a new subscription scheme that grants users access to all of PAYDAY 2’s DLC for a monthly cost. According to the official news post, the goal is to help players decide if they’re interested in PAYDAY 2 by offering a cheap way to experience all the game has to offer.
The hidden headline here is that Starbreeze is committing resources toward attracting new players to PAYDAY 2, which is unusual considering the game has a sequel, PAYDAY 3, that has both a full release and is in active development. Some fans are taking this as a sign that the company plans to abandon the newer game.
PAYDAY 3’s launch in 2023 can only be described as disastrous. Controversy over the game’s online-only requirement, severe server issues, and what fans perceived as a significant lack of content and features led to widespread backlash in the community. Player drop-off quickly followed, with many players going back to playing PAYDAY 2. At the time of writing, PAYDAY 3 has roughly 1,000 players online. For comparison, about 14.5k players are playing PAYDAY 2.
Even this new announcement hasn’t been without its controversy. Shortly before introducing the new subscription model, Starbreeze removed PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition from distribution platforms, which was a bundle containing 20 of the game’s most popular DLC. Around the same time, the company quietly raised the price on its All DLC Bundle, later reverting the change after overwhelmingly negative reactions from their playerbase.
Controversies aside, the subscription model looks to be a fair deal if you’re a new player confused by all the DLC options. Starbreeze says your DLC progress persists even if you cancel your subscription, so you can jump right back in if you decide to buy the DLC some time later.
Watch the full subscription trailer below.
