Starbreeze Passes Payday 2 Maintenance to Sidetrack Games to Focus on Payday 3
Starbreeze Entertainment has officially handed over the ongoing maintenance of Payday 2 to Sidetrack Games, allowing the Swedish studio to focus its full attention on revitalizing Payday 3. The transition marks a major shift in the long-running support cycle of Payday 2, which continues to maintain a dedicated player base more than a decade after its launch.
Announced on the official Payday 2 Steam page, Starbreeze confirmed that Sidetrack Games, formerly known as the M.U.G. Team will now handle future updates, bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and ongoing maintenance for Payday 2.
“Sidetrack (formerly known as the M.U.G. Team) is a talented team with deep roots in the Payday modding community,” Starbreeze wrote in the announcement. “Their work on RAID: World War II showed that they have the skill and perseverance to deliver quality updates over a long time. They know the Payday 2 engine inside and out, and they've already gotten started. The first update goes live this Thursday, October 23, and is focused on the stability of the game and improving the overall player experience.”
The studio added that this collaboration will allow Payday 2 to continue evolving while Starbreeze remains laser-focused on its newest title.
“Collaborating with Sidetrack Games allows Starbreeze to maintain full focus on Payday 3, while Payday 2 continues to deliver value for all players with the dedicated, expert support they deserve.”
We've partnered with Sidetrack Games to support PD 2 on PC! They have roots in the modding community, and we have trust they'll bring the game back to life!
— PAYDAY 3 (@PAYDAYGame) October 21, 2025
Starting Oct. 23 the first update will come out, and they'll be focusing on QoL updates to start: https://t.co/JjEpneo71b pic.twitter.com/USU6I0lU2H
Starbreeze will also host a livestream on October 23 to discuss the partnership and outline what players can expect from future Payday 2 updates under Sidetrack’s management.
This announcement follows a turbulent few months for Payday 2 and Payday 3. Earlier this year, Starbreeze faced backlash over the introduction of a DLC subscription service that replaced the traditional Infamous Collection bundle with a higher-priced option. Following heavy community criticism, the studio issued an apology and restored the original discount structure for players.
Meanwhile, Payday 3 has struggled to maintain momentum since its launch. The sequel released to widespread criticism due to server outages, technical issues, and lack of content, leading to dwindling player numbers. Despite post-launch patches, Payday 3 currently averages just over 3,000 concurrent players on Steam, according to SteamDB.
Starbreeze has since canceled its planned Dungeons & Dragons co-op game to allocate more resources toward Payday 3’s continued development. However, rebuilding the game’s reputation will be a long process. Payday 2 launched in 2013 and has received dozens of DLC packs, years of support, and a deep modding ecosystem that Payday 3 will take years to match in both scope and quality.
Adding to the challenge, Starbreeze recently reaffirmed that Payday 3 will not include an offline mode, a feature long requested by fans. Even with Sidetrack Games maintaining Payday 2, it will take considerable time for Payday 3 to achieve the content depth and community engagement that its predecessor continues to enjoy.
Still, this decision underscores Starbreeze’s commitment to ensuring Payday 3’s long-term success while keeping Payday 2 alive under dedicated stewardship. Whether these moves are enough to rebuild trust and reenergize the fan base remains to be seen.
Do you think Starbreeze’s new strategy will finally help Payday 3 recover, or will Payday 2 remain the true fan favorite? Share your opinion below.
