Starbreeze acknowledges it "dropped the ball" regarding the stealth price increase to its DLC bundle

Starbreeze recently acknowledged mistakes in its rollout of a new subscription service for Payday 2, coinciding with an unannounced increase in price for its DLC bundle, Infamous Collection. This decision, made during the series' 12th anniversary on September 24, resulted in significant backlash from players.

The newly launched subscription on Steam allows gamers to access the full range of downloadable content for $4.99 monthly or $19.99 for six months, providing the flexibility to cancel at any time. However, alongside this launch, the cost of the Infamous Collection unexpectedly surged by 50%, rising from $100 to $150.

Upon receiving criticism from fans, Starbreeze's head of commercial, Gustav Misser, commented to GameDeveloper that there had been a lapse in their internal coordination and communication with their audience. Misser stated, "The negative reaction makes complete sense," acknowledging the community's perspective and announcing the price increase was reversed immediately.

Reflecting on the situation, Misser admitted that the company didn't anticipate the problem, explaining that since the bundle charges only for unowned items and discounts stack with existing ones, the total cost can vary widely.