Payday 3 will be set in New York City and sees the return of the first game's cast of characters: Dallas, Hoxton, Chains, and Wolf.
The news came earlier today as part of a livestream celebrating 10 years of the fan-favorite shooter. The virtual remake of NYC will, according to director Erik Wonnevi, be a "living, enormous representation of the city" and takes place several years after the events of Payday 2, when the team has seemingly hung up their guns for a quieter, more law-abiding life.
"In the meantime," Starbreeze said (thanks, Eurogamer), "the world of Payday has transitioned into the digital age, with software giants, cryptocurrencies, mass surveillance and the Dark Web all playing a role in the gang's new gadgets, challenges and opportunities."
According to Wonnwvi, the original gang has been forced back into their old habits of heisting and will have to get back in shape again before they head back to work.
ICYMI, Payday 3 is set to release in 2023 after developer Starbreeze secured a publishing deal with Koch Media earlier this year. CEO Tobias Sjögren confirmed at the time that the partnership secured the continued development of the game, as well as the publishing and marketing costs, giving Starbreeze "a strong foundation for a successful launch of Payday 3".
As we reported at the time, Starbreeze is already pushing the "'games as a service' model" for its heist-based sequel, and confirmed to Payday fans that "additional content and functionalities [are] planned for long beyond the original release date".
That launch is now set for 2023, with the game expected to be available on PC and consoles.
In 2019, Starbreeze's then-CEO, Mikael Nermark, revealed that the company was facing bankruptcy, and might not last another year without additional funding. Fortunately, Starbreeze managed to stay afloat thanks to its dedicated fanbase and the ongoing sales success of Payday 2, which was reportedly responsible for 95 per cent of the developers' revenue last year.
Looking for something new while you wait for Payday 3? Here are the best PC games right now.
