Developer Starbreeze has finally revealed a slew of details about its upcoming heisting flagship, Payday 3, and fans of the franchise now have far better insight into the type of experience they ought to expect. Aside from revealing some gameplay footage and the game's September 2023 release window, Starbreeze has also gone on record about the game's monetization scheme and beyond.
Up until now, Payday fans have known precious little about Starbreeze's all-new series entry. Payday 3's 2023 launch plans were known, granted, so it was just a matter of time until the developer finally decided to provide a more in-depth overview of what should be expected out of the game and whether it's going to follow a similar path as its predecessor, Payday 2.
A new Payday 3 FAQ posted by Starbreeze has given more information about the upcoming game. On top of affirming previously known info, such as the game's New York setting, the FAQ also discusses its $39.99 price point, the Silver and Gold season pass offerings, and DLCs in general, which is a particularly important point of contention for the community. Specifically, the game will continue Payday 2's monetization scheme. Players can expect Heist, Tailor Pack, and Weapon Pack DLCs once again, and getting the Gold season pass simply unlocks access to the first year's worth of DLC, including 4 DLCs of each type. The Silver season pass, on the other hand, includes half as much content.
On top of having three types of DLC, which may not sound like a notable improvement over Payday 2, the new game will also feature PAYDAY Credits, an all-new in-game currency that will be used to purchase extra cosmetic items which "will not affect the gameplay," and will be introduced into Payday 3 sometime after the game comes out. The specifics of DLC balancing are yet to be seen, of course, but everything points to it being a very similar system to what was seen in the previous title, for better or for worse.
The good news is that Payday 3 will have full crossplay across all platforms, and the game is being developed in Unreal Engine 4, solving many of the previous title's production woes. Since Starbreeze left its financial issues behind a few years back, the situation has been generally favorable for the studio, allowing it to go all-in on Payday 3's modernized development process.
Payday 3 isn't the only heist-based game due to launch in the near future, though. Haven Studios' Fairgames may yet steal Payday 3's thunder, depending on the game's niche and gameplay focus. Even with the considerable following that the Payday franchise has amassed over the years, Starbreeze should keep a close eye on its new competitor, and the third series entry may not stand out nearly as much as Payday 2 did back in the day.
Payday 3 launches on September 21 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Payday 3