Payday 3 Dev Knows Pressure Is On To Deliver With Sequel

Just because the first two Payday games have been successful, that doesn't mean Starbreeze is resting on its laurels with the upcoming Payday 3. Far from it, according to Starbreeze boss Tobias Sjogren. He told GI.biz that fans, and the industry at large, will expect Payday 3 to live up.

Sjogren said when he worked at DICE years ago, he remembers a meeting with EA about Battlefield 2. The developers at DICE felt confident given how much of a success Battlefield was, but a higher-up at EA reminded Sjogren and others that past success does not necessarily guarantee future success.

"'You are never better than your next game,'" Sjogren recalls this person saying. "That's something I've carried with me since because it is so true. In this industry, you can rely on your past to some degree, but it can never change what's coming next. Everything you do next is important and that's very much the case for Payday 3."

As for whether or not he is more nervous with Payday 3 compared to Starbreeze's other titles, Sjogren said he might be due to the size of the Payday series.

"Maybe from the perspective that this is absolutely one of the games that I've been part of that has the biggest audience. There are a lot of people that are going to see this now," he said.

Starbreeze has reported that the Payday series has reached 40 million people already, making it a very big deal. The franchise is a key contributor to Starbreeze's financial performance, so whether or not Sjogren is personally nervous about the game, it surely will play a big role in the company's business results. Payday 3, which is set in New York, is set for release sometime in 2013.

Starbreeze's last game was Overkill's The Walking Dead, but it was not much of a success. Payday 3, by comparison, is already fully funded through a massive deal with Koch Media.

The Payday series is extending beyond games, too, with a live-action adaptation.