Payday 2, the beloved heist game released in 2013, continues to dominate the gaming scene with almost 85 times more average players on Steam compared to its successor Payday 3, which was launched in 2023.
Recent news from Starbreeze revealed that the current CEO has been ousted due to the disappointing performance of Payday 3. The stark difference in player numbers between the two games highlights the underperformance of Payday 3.
According to SteamDB, in the last 24 hours, Payday 2 reached a peak player count of 31,866, while Payday 3 only managed 378. These statistics clearly demonstrate the preference of players towards the older title.
Despite an initial strong start with 77,938 peak players at launch, Payday 3's journey has been fraught with technical issues and a lack of communication between Starbreeze and the community, leading to a significant drop in player count.
Issues such as major server problems attributed to external matchmaking software and delays in updates have frustrated fans, with Embracer Group acknowledging the game's underperformance.
In a statement, Embracer Group's CEO Lars Wingefors mentioned that Payday 3 did not meet expectations and that efforts are underway to enhance the player experience and address the game's shortcomings.
Starbreeze chairman Torgny Hellström emphasized the need for a change in leadership to drive the company's strategy of creating compelling games, leading to the appointment of Juergen Goeldner as an interim solution.
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