Starbreeze Addresses Payday 2 DLC Price Backlash
▼ Summary
– Starbreeze Studios apologized and reversed a 44% price increase on Payday 2’s Infamous Collection DLC bundle after community backlash.
– The company admitted the price hike was poorly timed with the launch of a new $5/month subscription service, creating an unintended perception of pushing players toward the subscription.
– A Starbreeze executive clarified the price increase was an honest mistake resulting from internal coordination and communication failures, not a deliberate strategy.
– To make amends, the Infamous Collection was not only returned to its original $118 price but also given an additional 31% discount.
– Both the Infamous Collection and the subscription service are for Payday 2, which remains significantly more popular than Payday 3 based on player counts.
Starbreeze Studios has issued a formal apology and reversed a controversial price increase for Payday 2’s Infamous Collection DLC bundle, following significant backlash from its dedicated player community. The developer acknowledged a major failure in both internal coordination and communication after raising the bundle’s price from $118 to $170 shortly after announcing a new subscription service for the game.
Gustav Nisser, Starbreeze’s head of commercial, clarified that the 44% price hike was not a strategic move to push players toward the new $5 monthly subscription, which grants access to a large portion of the game’s DLC. He admitted the proximity of the two announcements created an unfortunate and misleading impression. “If we had realized the change would be happening so close to the subscription launch, we wouldn’t have done it,” Nisser stated. He conceded that the team failed to properly notify the community about the impending price change, calling the situation a “mishap” in coordination and communication.
In an effort to make amends, Starbreeze has not only reverted the Infamous Collection to its original $118 price but has also applied an additional discount. The bundle is now available on Steam for $84.92, representing a 31% discount off the standard price. Nisser expressed hope that the community would recognize the price adjustment as an honest mistake, acknowledging that the players’ interpretation of the events was understandable given the poor timing.
It is important to note that both the Infamous Collection and the new subscription service are exclusively for Payday 2, which continues to maintain a much larger and more active player base than its successor, Payday 3. While Payday 2 consistently attracts tens of thousands of concurrent players, Payday 3’s numbers often fall below one thousand. The Infamous Collection, currently offered only on PC, includes more than 70 DLC items such as weapons, character packs, and cosmetic content. Players are not required to purchase the entire bundle, as all individual DLC packs remain available for separate purchase, many of which are also discounted on Steam.
(Source: Gamespot)
