Starbreeze might have almost gone out of business following the ill-fated launch of Overkill’s The Walking Dead on Steam, but the team is back to steal your money with Payday 3, releasing in 2023.
“At Starbreeze, we see Payday as the ultimate bank-robbing experience,” global brand director Almir Listo explained during a recent pre-brief ahead of E3 2021. “Inspired by classic heist movies, providing adrenaline-fueled gameplay where you get to experience the thrill of being on the wrong side of the law with a smart plan and a gun in your hand.”
Payday 3 will continue the ongoing narrative that’s been created over the years by the series. At this point in time, the gang has built up a huge reputation by going after high-profile targets and pulling off legendary heists. Payday 3 paints them as a gang that’s way beyond the point of no return, and they’re in the sights of the criminal underworld, as well as the law.
A brief glimpse of the live-action trailer shows Ron Perlman doing some dodgy deals in a parking lot, a man in an orange prison jumpsuit, and an explosion for good measure.
Starbreeze is calling Payday 3 “the next chapter and an evolution of the franchise”. According to the developer, the game will utilize modern tech to create a “fully-fledged social heist universe”. The Payday gang returns, as you’d expect, but this time it’s not just money on their minds. Oh no - it’s revenge.
Here’s the official blurb: “Payday 3 is a high-octane, first-person co-op shooter game, set in a Hollywood-like environment that lets players live out the fantasy of being a world-class career criminal who joins the legendary Payday gang and masters the art of heisting.”
Payday 3 is releasing for consoles and PC in 2023 and is being developed in Unreal Engine 4. It's being published by Koch under its new Prime Matter publishing label.