Payday 2 was outperforming Payday 3 towards the end of 2025
Starbreeze has struggled to make headway with Payday 3 since it launched in September 2023, with the title almost immediately falling short of expectations—prompting the Swedish publisher to form a "strike team of veteran developers" to rehabilitate the title.
Starbreeze, however, remains adamant the threequel is showing "clear potential." That's despite it being outperformed by Payday 2 during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year.
As noted in the company's latest fiscal report, Payday 2 delivered net sales of SEK 14.8 million ($1.6 million) during the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025. By contrast, Payday 3 delivered net sales of SEK 8 million ($880,000).
Full-year net sales for Payday 2 totalled SEK 50.1 million across the 2025 fiscal year, while Payday 3 delivered net sales of SEK 76.5 million over the same period.
Although Payday 3 generated more sales over the entire year, that total represents a downturn on its performances in 2024 and 2023. For instance, the title generated full-year net sales of SEK 82.9 million and SEK 477 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Those numbers highlight the magnitude of the task currently facing Starbreeze, with Payday 3 net sales having plummeted post-launch.
Starbreeze said it was focused on stabilizing its business during the last fiscal year, leading to consolidated net sales of SEK 221 million—an increase on the SEK 185.9 million it reported the year prior.
"Strengthening trust with players and the community is a long-term effort"Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson—who was appointed in March 2025 to change the company's fortunes—explained the Payday 3 team has now established a stable monthly cadence for updates, which he described as a "key milestone in our transition toward a more consistent live-engagement model."
"The release of Skills 2.0 marked a meaningful step forward, directly addressing long-standing player feedback and enabling deeper, more impactful build customization. This work will continue, with ongoing tuning and improvements based on both player input and our long-term vision for the game," he added.
"Shortly after year-end, we launched the Shopping Spree Heist, introducing new gameplay scenarios with a strong focus on replayability, alongside additional quality-of-life improvements. Together, these releases represent tangible progress in improving the Payday 3 experience. Strengthening trust with players and the community is a long-term effort, and the team remains focused on consistent delivery."
Kristjansson said Payday 2 exceeded expectations over the seasonal sales period and is being supported with both updates and new content via an exclusive partnership with an external development team. That partnership has purportedly allowed Starbreeze's internal teams to focus entirely on Payday 3.
Discussing the company's internal structure, Kristjansson said Starbreeze has taken "deliberate steps" to simplify and align operations—presumably referring to the layoffs made by the studio last year—and noted those changes have "enabled clearer decision-making, improved accountability, and stronger cross-functional collaboration."
He also indicated the company is rethinking its work-for-hire model.
"As we continue to sharpen focus while maintaining our cash discipline, we have taken steps after the quarter to adapt our cost base, primarily in Special Operations, our work-for-hire segment," he added. "While work- for-hire is a viable part of our business when the right opportunities arise, these adjustments ensure that our organization is aligned with demand and supports our long-term ambition to build a simpler, more predictable, and financially resilient company."
Starbreeze had 143 employees as of December 31, 2025. The company previously had 189 workers on its books at the end of 2024.
