Starbreeze Admits Mistake with New Payday 2 Subscription and Infamous Collection DLC Price Hike
Starbreeze Studios recently introduced a new subscription service for Payday 2, giving players access to the game’s massive library of over 65 DLCs. While the idea sounded convenient, the rollout caused significant backlash when fans noticed that the discount on the Infamous Collection DLC bundle was quietly reduced.
The subscription provides full access to all Payday 2 DLCs for either:
$4.99 per month (auto-renewing)
$19.99 every six months (a 31% discount compared to monthly)
Subscribers who later cancel will retain their core progress - such as level, money, and inventory - but will lose access to DLC-specific content like weapons, heists, characters, and masks. These can only be re-accessed by resubscribing or purchasing the DLC outright.
Alongside the subscription launch, Starbreeze reduced the Infamous Collection discount from 52% to 33%, making the bundle far less attractive. This sparked outrage across the Payday 2 community, with many players accusing the studio of pushing the subscription model by weakening the traditional purchase option.
The backlash was immediate:
Recent Payday 2 Steam reviews dropped to 54% positive, a sharp decline compared to the game’s overall 87% positive rating.
Fans described the move as “scummy,” especially given Payday 2’s longstanding goodwill among its player base.
In response to the criticism, Gustav Nisser, Head of Commercial at Starbreeze, admitted in a statement to Game Developer that the rollout was mishandled:
“We dropped the ball on coordinating internally and communicating with our community properly. The negative reaction makes complete sense, and the community has made it clear how the price change and its timing looks from the outside. We agree with the community, we messed up on this one, and we have reverted the price on the bundle effective immediately.”
He further explained that because the Infamous Collection only charges players for items they don’t already own - and because bundle discounts stack with other discounts - the final price could vary significantly. However, Starbreeze admitted that the timing and optics of the change were poor.
The Infamous Collection discount has since been restored to 52%, easing some of the community frustration.
This stumble comes on the heels of Payday 3’s commercial failure, as acknowledged by its parent company, Embracer Group. With its flagship franchise under scrutiny, Starbreeze will need to tread carefully to avoid further damaging its reputation.
Looking ahead, the Swedish studio’s next major project is Project Baxter, an online co-op title set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, which is expected to launch in 2026.
Do you think subscriptions are a fair model for older games with lots of DLC, or should studios stick to bundle discounts?
