Payday 3 Could Launch as an Epic Games Store Timed Exclusive

In case you haven’t heard of Payday before, it’s a first-person cooperative shooter where the theme is “cops vs robbers” – only much more enticing. The latest entry in the series is Payday 2 whose release dates back to 2013. Ever since then, the game has seen several ups and downs but is currently doing very well, according to a studio interim report of 2020’s final quarter.

To begin with, Payday 2 comprised the biggest fanbase on Steam by December 2020 with members measuring up to 7.1 million. Due to this courtesy, the studio was able to pay off debts, release additional content for the game, and acquire a sense of security for developing Payday 3 in 2021.

Therefore, Starbreeze Studio’s acting CEO Tobias Sjögren says, “Through the proven strength of the PAYDAY franchise and a highly dedicated development team we now have a stable platform that supports the continued successful development of PAYDAY 3.” However, it’s the next cryptic sentence that makes us wonder about the future of the upcoming FPS.

Tobias continues, “We are standing strong and confident in our efforts to close a publishing agreement with a partner that is as passionate about games as a service as Starbreeze is and ready to join us in the successful launch of PAYDAY 3.”

We’re speculating that Starbreeze Studio has something in the works with either Epic Games Store or industry-giant Xbox. Either of these would be two very different stories.

For the game to tie hands with Xbox primarily, it would mean being added to Xbox Gamepass from day one. This subscription would allow subscribers to get the game on the day it releases by paying no additional cost other than the service in question that they’ve already subscribed to.

If Starbreeze Studio still intends to target its PC base with Payday 3 and are planning a move away from Steam where they are currently very successful, it would mean launching the game on the Epic Games Store, but that too would come at a cost – time-exclusivity.

It’s pretty early to say what’s coming for Payday 3, but it’s definitely intriguing to see what route the developer is going to take with this one.

What do you make of this news? Let us know your opinion down in the comments section.