Starbreeze Studios has announced their purchase of the Payday franchise rights from publisher 505 Games with the 100th update to Payday 2, their heist themed multiplayer shooter from 2013.
“Going forward it’s only us and you guys who decide what goes into Payday,” producer Almir Listo said in the update video, highlighting their new independence.
The acquisition amounts to about $30 million in stock, Starbeeze discussed in their press release. Starbreeze also made quick mention of Payday 3 for the first time, stating “505 Games will retain a 33% revenue share of Starbreeze’s net revenues from future sales of Payday 3.”
Starbreeze Studios will continue to support Payday 2 with more updates for another 18 months, until the end of 2017. With the prevalence of annualized multiplayer games such as Call of Duty, this long-term support for a game released in 2013 is remarkable.
The 100th update brings with it community grenades and a new skill system. They also announced the black market, Payday 2’s much maligned microtransaction system, would now be free for everyone. With Starbreeze’s independence on Payday 3, hopefully divisive elements such as microtransactions will be no more.
Lastly, Starbreeze shared a teaser trailer for E3, which you can watch below.