Payday 3, the heist-based FPS game developed by Starbreeze Studios, is not doing well as of late. Recent numbers show that player counts have dwindled since the title was launched in September, prompting some players to ask if the game is already dead.
Is the Game Dead?
Judging by the recent numbers from Steam Charts, Payday 3 only had a 24-hour peak of 1,546 players. It also had a 69,112 all-time peak, which is quite abysmal considering that Payday 2 was a massive success. Because of the small numbers, players are struggling to find a game.
User @TheRealistHabibi went to Reddit and asked the community if the game is dead or not because they've been having trouble finding a match lately. One user replied that while the game is not technically dead, it is on "life support."
Part of the reason why player count is low is that the game was virtually unplayable for the first couple of weeks, which may have led some to just forget about it. They added that those players who stayed have hit the "IP Wall" and are frustrated in leveling up since Infamy Points are only gained from completing challenges.
For those who don't know, Infamy Points (IP) are part of Payday 3's progression system where players use the points as currency for leveling up or unlocking new equipment. Those who want to use certain weapon attachments, for example, must be at a certain level to equip them.
Another Redditor chimed in and said that because completing challenges is the only way to gain Infamy Points, it made Payday 3 "extremely boring and tedious." It's like Starbreeze Studios are forcing people to play a certain way instead of letting players enjoy the game in any way they want.
Revival Imminent?
Although a lot of players have complained about the game's horrible progression system, Andreas Penninger, Lead Producer of Payday 3, said last month that the studio is looking to make suitable changes soon. True enough, Starbreeze Studios has revealed some of the things players can expect in an update that will arrive at the end of November.
One of the changes that players are going to love is that Infamy Points will now be awarded as part of the heist payouts. This means that players can just do heists diligently in order to gain enough IP to progress through the ranks.
In addition, Starbreeze Studios will introduce two legacy heists: "Cook Off" and "Turbid Station." The former is a very popular heist because players can gain huge amounts of money and experience points just by completing it. The latter is an updated version of Murky Station in Payday 2, which the company has tweaked to adapt to Payday 3's new movement and stealth mechanics.
Other new features that players can expect in the upcoming update include new weapon inspect animations, a new mask, new music composed by Gustavo Coutinho, and a plethora of optimizations, quality of life improvements, and bug fixes. The company is hoping that these changes will somehow spark the revival of the game.
Have you played Payday 3 recently? If so, were you able to find a game through matchmaking? Also, what's your reaction to the new patch that will be released soon?
Payday 3 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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