Starbreeze Embarks on a Payday-Centric Future with a Co-Developed VR Game

Over the past decade, Starbreeze has become synonymous with the Payday franchise. Payday 2, launched in 2013, has sold over 40 million units and helped the company navigate its most challenging periods. The firm's bet on Payday 3 in 2023 yielded mixed reviews and lower-than-expected sales and player counts, prompting the formation of a 'strike team' to revamp the game's performance. Three years later, the game's performance has stabilized, and Payday remains the primary source of income for Starbreeze, with the franchise boasting over 50 million players and generating $400 million in lifetime revenue. During the 2025 financial year, Payday 3 and Payday 2 generated SEK 76.5 million ($8.19 million) and SEK 50.1 million ($5.37 million) in sales, respectively. The company's chief growth officer, Matt Dixon, views the Payday IP as a 'privilege' and aims to release more games within the Payday universe. The first such game is a VR title, Payday Aces High, developed in partnership with Fast Travel Games, a specialist in virtual reality. Set to launch this year for Meta Quest and SteamVR, the game marks a new direction for the franchise. The collaboration between Starbreeze and Fast Travel Games began with a casual conversation about expanding the Payday IP through external partnerships. Fast Travel Games' chief creative officer, Erik Odeldahl, notes that the game features a new group of heisters with their own story, set within the same world as the mainline games. Adapting the Payday franchise to VR presented several challenges, including reworking the Quiet Mode stealth phase and creating a strong progression system. The game's progression system allows players to unlock new abilities, gadgets, and guns using in-game currency, with VR-specific interactions designed to feel intuitive and natural. Starbreeze has previously explored virtual reality with a VR version of Payday 2 and the John Wick Chronicles. The company learned that VR games must feel distinct from their flat-screen counterparts and be fully built for immersion. While the VR market may not be the largest, Odeldahl believes that social and cooperative experiences drive player engagement and retention. Payday Aces High supports cross-platform play between Steam and Meta Quest players, with features to facilitate finding and connecting with other online players. The game is also playable solo, with the core heist experience accessible to all players. Odeldahl is not overly concerned about the impact of Meta's metaverse priorities on the VR space, focusing instead on creating strong, well-designed games that excite players and are easy to access across platforms. Payday Aces High marks the beginning of a series of brand expansions from Starbreeze, with Dixon describing Payday as the firm's 'focus and growth engine.' The company is committed to delivering more content to its Payday products and expanding the IP across more experiences and platforms, recognizing the significant responsibility that comes with having an IP of this magnitude.