After revealing a new subscription program for the 12-year-old crime sim Payday 2, developer Starbreeze Studios subsequently increased a DLC bundle pack by 44% from $118 to $170. Now, in response to the backlash, the team has apologized, reverting the price to its original amount after admitting it “messed up.”
Starbreeze’s head of commercial, Gustav Nisser, told PC Gamer that the Infamous Collection’s 44% jump was not tied to the introduction of the new Payday 2: Subscription, a $5/month program that gives you access to a plethora of the game’s DLC packs. While fans reportedly thought that the Infamous Collection’s price hike was in some way a funnel toward the Subscription service, Nisser said it was all just really bad timing.
“If we had realized the change would be happening so close to the subscription launch, we wouldn’t have done it,” Nisser said. “In addition, we always aim to communicate upcoming price changes to our community and in this case we missed doing that as well. So basically we messed up in a couple of different ways, particularly both internal coordination and community communication and … the results speak for themselves. The community has been pretty clear that they felt it looked like we were trying to push people into the subscription, and I completely understand that. For better or worse that’s not the case, literally just a mishap.”
It’s great to see developers being responsive to their community’s feedback. The decision to address the DLC price increase shows a commitment to player satisfaction. Looking forward to seeing how the subscription program evolves!
Absolutely! It’s encouraging when developers listen to their players. The subscription model could offer a fresh way to keep the game alive, but it will be interesting to see how it balances with the existing DLC pricing.
You’re right, it’s great to see that kind of responsiveness! The subscription model could actually provide a steady stream of new content, which might keep the community engaged longer. It’ll be interesting to see how players respond to this change in the long run.
Absolutely, it’s encouraging to see developers listen to their community. The subscription model might also help sustain ongoing updates and new content, which could keep the game fresh for long-time players. It’ll be interesting to see how this evolves!