Payday Studio Cancels D&D Game, Focusing On Payday And New Heisting Games

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Starbreeze has decided to stop development on its Dungeons & Dragons game, previously known as Project Baxter. The company explained that after carefully considering its options, its leadership team determined that focusing on its popular Payday franchise would be a more effective use of resources. This decision came after a thorough strategic review of the project.

Starbreeze is recording a loss of approximately SEK 255 million (around $27.2 million) because they have cancelled Project Baxter. This means they are reducing the recorded value of the project on their financial statements.

“This was a tough but essential choice,” stated Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson. “Our plan is straightforward: Payday is a truly memorable gaming franchise, boasting incredible popularity and possibilities. By concentrating our resources and expertise on it, we can speed up development, offer players more engaging content, and solidify Starbreeze’s standing as the leading company in the heist game market. This is all about streamlining our efforts to maximize long-term benefits for our players, employees, and investors.”

Layoffs

Developers previously working on Project Baxter are being reassigned within Starbreeze, with some joining the Payday team. Unfortunately, others are being laid off. “When suitable positions aren’t available internally, Starbreeze will help those affected find new opportunities elsewhere in the industry,” the company stated. This restructuring will result in approximately 44 developers-including both employees and contractors-losing their jobs.

Kristjansson also explained that Starbreeze is heavily investing in the heist genre, with a focus on Payday and expanding the genre with future projects. He used the phrase “doubling down” to emphasize this commitment.

According to the company, ending Project Baxter, reducing staff, and concentrating more on Payday and similar heist games will allow Starbreeze to achieve “cash-flow positive” status by 2026. This means they expect to be generating more money than they are spending by that year. The company stated this will help them become financially stable.

Kristjansson stated, “I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the Baxter team for their dedication and innovative ideas, and also thank Wizards of the Coast for their backing.” He continued, “While we’ve decided to discontinue this particular project, we’re very proud of everything the Baxter team accomplished, and those achievements will benefit Payday and the future of Starbreeze. Focusing our resources on Payday gives Starbreeze and our entire team the greatest opportunity for success.”

What’s next for Starbreeze

Starbreeze also shared its future plans, with a continued focus on the Payday franchise. While the newest game, Payday 3, hasn’t reached the same level of success as Payday 2 – particularly in terms of player numbers on Steam – Starbreeze stated they are still releasing updates and enhancements. Their goal is to transform Payday 3 into a platform that can attract and keep millions of players engaged around the world.

Starbreeze announced that the franchise will become a more interactive, modern game by continually improving its technology, expanding what players can do, and making the experience better. They also plan to create engagement systems that are both fair and able to last for the long term.

According to Starbreeze, the development team for Payday 3 is expected to reach around 50 people by the end of 2025. They plan to increase the team size based on how many players engage with the game, if that happens.

Payday 2 is still receiving updates and enhancements. Recently, the developers introduced a subscription service that gives players access to all downloadable content (DLC) for a recurring monthly fee. This allows players to get all the extra content without purchasing each DLC separately, and keeps the game fresh with ongoing improvements.

“New games and experiences” are coming

Starbreeze announced that the Payday franchise has been experienced by over 50 million players worldwide and has earned nearly SEK 4 billion (approximately $427.3 million) in total revenue since its launch.

Following the huge popularity of Payday, Starbreeze announced today that they are developing new games and experiences that will expand the heist genre beyond their main projects. This includes spin-off titles, story-focused games, and bringing the franchise to new platforms. In a message to investors, Starbreeze also stated they will continue to accept contract work to boost the company’s income.

Kristjansso explained that this approach centers on putting plans into action and expanding the game, all while maintaining high quality and reliable results. Their aim is to continually develop Payday as a contemporary, actively-updated game, and to introduce fresh ways for players to enjoy the heist experience through both traditional heists and unique special operations. By consistently providing players with worthwhile content, they hope to build a strong base for long-term, stable growth for Starbreeze.

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2025-10-02 16:14