Fast Travel Games, along with Starbreeze Entertainment, has unveiled a brand new VR title that takes place in the latter’s Payday universe. Dubbed Payday: Aces High, the game will be similar to others in the franchise, offering 4-player co-op in various missions that largely revolve around pulling off daring heists. The title was unveiled with a trailer, which you can check out below, and will be coming to SteamVR and the Meta Store later this year.
The trailer gives us a glimpse at gameplay across a series of missions. It also provides details about the four playable characters part of a group named the Aces. Players can take on the role of the Ace of Clubs (the ghost), the Ace of Diamonds (the technician), the Ace of Spades (the enforcer), and Ace of Hearts (the mastermind). As you might expect from an entry in the Payday franchise, Aces High offers a mix of stealth and action gameplay. While players will have the option to sneak around, sooner or later, they will trip off an alarm, bringing in hordes of guards that stand between them and their escape routes.
Payday: Aces High will feature an overarching story that revolves around the Aces trying to get revenge on business titan Warren Jupiter, who had previously framed the crew. In their hunt for vengeance, players will have access to plenty of tools and weapons, giving them freedom to plan out their heists in their preferred way. Available weapons will range from pistols and SMGs to shotguns and assault rifles, while equipment will include grappling hooks and sentry guns, among other things.
“For the past 15 years, we’ve admired how Payday lets players jump into scenarios straight out of the wildest Hollywood crime movies and take heists into their own hands,” said Fast Travel Games co-founder and chief creative officer Erik Odeldahl in a press release. “We’re kicking things up to the next level this year with Payday: Aces High – get ready to lock-and-load with up to three other heisters, in the immersion that only VR can bring!”
“Payday is one of the most iconic franchises in gaming, with more than 50 million players worldwide,” said Starbreeze Entertainment CEO Adolf Kristjansson. “Fast Travel Games is a globally respected VR studio with over a decade of VR experience. They are the ideal partner to bring Payday to this platform. With Aces High, we are expanding the Payday universe and inviting players to plan and execute heists together in a fully immersive experience. Under their leadership, Aces High is not just an adaptation. It is a true Payday game built from the ground up for this medium.”
In the meantime, Starbreeze has been facing quite a bit of trouble in its attempts to make Payday 3 more appealing to players. Earlier this year, however, it had been hit by round of lay-offs, which indicate that these attempts may not be going smoothly. Back in October, the studio had also confirmed that it was no longer working on an offline mode for the co-op shooter. Thankfully, the more popular Payday 2 seems to be largely unaffected, thanks to its development now being handled by Sidetrack Games.