Payday 3’s Initial Sales Exceeded Starbreeze’s Expectations, but Slowed Down Afterward Due to Launch Issues

Payday 3 has been met with a fair bit of backlash due to its launch issues in recent weeks, while Embracer Grup – the parent company of Deep Silver, the shooter’s publisher – has also said that the game has performed below its expectations. However, at least where its initial sales are concerned, developer Starbreeze Studios doesn’t seem to agree.

In a recently published quarterly fiscal report, Starbreeze Studios CEO Tobias Sjögren said that Payday 3’s initial sales upon launch exceeded the developer’s expectations. He did, however, acknowledge that the game had a troubled launch, which, according to him, has resulted in slows slowing down since that initial period.

“Both interest in the game and initial sales exceeded our expectations, it was clear that many people have been waiting a long time to play Payday 3,” Sjögren said. “Unfortunately, it quickly became evident that the infrastructure on which the game rests was not holding up – this despite extensive internal and external tests carried out leading up to launch. The consequence is that sales after the period are somewhat lower, but we are convinced that what we have in store will increase sales over time.”

Sjögren went on to say that Starbreeze Studios plans to stick to its live service plans for Payday 3, and with future updates, will be able to “repair the short-term drop in confidence that the launch entailed”. He also reiterated that as of September 30, the game had already sold enough to recoup its development costs, as previously confirmed by Embracer Group.

“The team’s focus is, and will continue to be, building Payday 3 according to plan and repairing the short-term drop in confidence that the launch entailed,” he said. “That Payday 3, at September 30 based on preliminary total revenue, had recouped the investment Starbreeze made in the game up until launch shows both the strength of the brand and the trust placed in us from our players. One of our most important tasks is to manage and nurture this trust in us. We have a clear vision for what Payday 3 will be with our Games as a Service model, and we continue according to our plan where the goal is to always deliver maximum value for our players over time and results for Starbreeze.”

Payday 3 received its first patch earlier this month after multiple delays, bringing over 100 fixes. Its next free update is set to arrive later this month, and will be adding two new legacy heists, fixes for the progression system, and more.

Payday 3 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It was played by over 3.1 million people in September. You can read our review of the game through here.