Do you recall the announcement in 2023 by Starbreeze of a Dungeons & Dragons game? I certainly don’t, but it did happen. That was a hectic time, especially for Starbreeze. But hey, more power to them. Unfortunately, that live-service game they wanted to craft, with a “lifetime commitment through a Games as a Service model, community engagement, and a larger than life experience,” was meant to release in 2026. Well, it’s not happening. Starbreeze has canceled Dungeons and Dragons to focus on Payday.
Confirming the cancellation on the official blog, Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson said:
This was a difficult but necessary decision. Our strategy is clear: PAYDAY is one of the most iconic IPs in gaming, with unmatched reach and potential. By focusing our investment and talent here, we can accelerate delivery, engage players with more content, and reinforce Starbreeze’s position as the clear leader in the heisting genre. This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders.
But here’s the thing: Payday 3 launched poorly. It’s still lackluster, missing quality of life features and flavor that made Payday 2 so iconic. As I write this, it’s a little past 9 AM, and Payday 2 has approximately 33,000 players in-game, while Payday 3 only has around 1,500. It’s also poorly reviewed and is currently running with a skeleton team.
But still, Kristjansson added:
We are doubling down on what our players love – and what we do best – owning the heisting genre. PAYDAY is more than a game — it’s a genre we created and continue to lead. By redeploying talent and capital, we can bring innovation to heisting gameplay faster, while also laying the foundation for the future expansion of the genre.
Honestly? It sounds like they’re worried about Den of Wolves, an upcoming cooperative heist game from the creator of Payday: The Heist, Payday 2, and GTFO.
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