Payday 3 Struggles Lead to CEO Change; New Starbreeze Studios CEO Wanted

Payday 3 has been underperforming for a while and it's finally lead to the CEO being kicked out, and we've got the details here!
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Payday 3 Flare Masks Robbery
Image: Starbreeze Studios

Starbreeze Studios, the company behind the well-known Payday series, has experienced a significant shift in leadership. Tobias Sjögren, the CEO for the past three years, has been removed from his position. The company’s board of directors has stated that a new leader is needed to help the performance of its game franchises, including the recently launched Payday 3.

We’ve been reporting that Payday 3 has not met expectations for a while, and it looks like the strike team assembled to help has not worked out. Juergen Goeldner, who has been on the Starbreeze board since 2023, will step in as the interim CEO. Goeldner was CEO of Focus Home Interactive, which could possibly help in video gaming (thanks, GameDeveloper). The company has initiated the search for a long-term CEO replacement.

“Starbreeze has a strong history of developing and publishing games globally. After launching Payday 3, the company is well-positioned to leverage the strengths of the organization to monetize and develop the IP portfolio. I am looking forward to assuming an operative position and, together with the management, ensure the execution of this strategy.”

Juergen Goeldner

Goeldner expressed his optimism about Starbreeze’s prospects, emphasizing the company’s history of developing and publishing games globally. With the imminent release of Payday 3, the company is well-positioned to capitalize on its strengths and expand its range of intellectual properties. That’s a bit of a leap, and to be honest, it looks like a sinking ship.

The leadership change follows the underwhelming launch of Payday 3. Starbreeze has acknowledged that the game is not meeting its targets, with sales and player engagement falling below expectations. That’s an understatement: Den of Wolves was made by former Payday developers who detailed the mistakes of their former company.

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar, also known as Aggy, is the current Assigning Editor.

He started his career as an esports, influencer, and streaming writer for Sportskeeda. He then moved to GFinity Esports to cover streaming, games, guides, and news before moving to the Social team where he ended his time as the Lead of Social Content.

He also worked a writer and editor for both Pro Game Guides and Dot Esports, and as a writer for PC Invasion, Attack of the Fanboy, and Android Police. Aggy is the former Managing Editor and Operations Overseer of N4G Unlocked and a former Gaming editor for WePC.

Throughout his time in the industry, he's trained over 100 writers, written thousands of articles on multiple sites, written more reviews than he cares to count, and edited tens of thousands of articles. He has also written some games published by Tales, some books, and a comic sold to Telus International.

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