In a deal said to be worth around $30 million, Swedish publisher Starbreeze Studios has today acquired full rights to the Payday franchise, including all future “developments and commercialization” spanning console and mobile games.
It signals the end of Starbreeze and developer Overkill‘s partnership with 505 Games, who brokered a deal in 2012 during development on Payday 2.
Now that the franchise rights are back at Starbreeze, though, the company’s first port of call will be to remove all micro-transactions from the crime sequel, while there’s also plans to support the title for “at least another 18 months.”
An official statement from the company’s CEO, Bo Andersson Klint, reads as so:
“Payday is very close to my heart, and has laid the foundation for Starbreeze success in recent years. We’re very excited to bring our heisters home to the safe house. To start with, we believe in the continued success of Payday 2 and will support it for at least another 18 months continuing expanding the game.”
Elsewhere in the press release, Starbreeze alludes to the financial breakdown of the revised deal, where there was also word of a Payday sequel.
“505 Games will retain a 33 percent revenue share of Starbreeze’s net revenues from future sales of Payday 3 capped at $40 million, and after Starbreeze has fully recouped its development and marketing costs.”
In anticipation of E3 2016, an official live-action teaser for Payday 2 has emerged, teeing up some form of announcement at the imminent trade show. What’s more, Overkill’s Almir, Joakim, Hampus, and Jules have locked down plans to host a Reddit AMA on Friday, June 3 from 4pm-6pm EST.
[Source: Starbreeze Studios]
