Another Developer Loses Hope of Saving PayDay 3. However, Starbreeze Will Make One More Attempt to Save It
The director of PayDay 3 will continue to be one of the game's designers, but the future of the series will be decided by two of series veterans.
Almost a year after the premiere of PayDay 3, Miodrag "Mio" Kovacevic has stepped down as game director. As Starbreeze studio reported on X, the developer will step down from his current position and will continue working on the title as a "designer."
It wasn't announced who will replace him. Nevertheless, the entry reveals that the “creative force” behind the upcoming updates in the second year of PayDay 3 will be lead producer Andreas Penninger and global brand director Almir List. This likely refers to the fourth chapter of the game, Fear & Greed, which is set to launch on September 16th.
Hope for the future of PayDay 3?
Fans of the PayDay series are by no means mourning the departure of "Mio." Players weren't particularly impressed with the game's ongoing development under his supervision, at least not to the extent of overcoming the initial poor impression.
Suffice it to say that after almost a year, PayDay 3 only has 39% positive reviews on Steam, mainly due to issues introduced by subsequent patches, which also delayed the launch of the first major updates. While some fans point out that Kovacevic had some good ideas, his approach to contact with the community left much to be desired.
Players are also pleased that the future of PayDay 3 is entrusted to List and Penninger. They are both highly regarded by series fans as veterans of the second installment, partly due to developer diaries and game-dedicated streams. This gives hope that the title is in good hands.
To PayDay 3's rescue
PayDay 3 definitely needs a change. The game saw active development after CEO Tobias Sjogren's departure (likely forced by the supervisory board) in March this year, but it didn't lead to regaining players' trust.
The game has received mixed reviews on Steam, even in the last 30 days, and the number of users playing it is also not promising. Peaks on Valve's platform aren't the only thing to consider - but a daily record below a thousand players last week doesn't exactly inspire optimism for online co-op games.
