Starbreeze Studios is once again facing internal turmoil, as multiple employees have reported a fresh round of layoffs. While the company has not released an official statement, public posts from affected staff suggest the situation is ongoing and potentially significant.
The new reports add further strain to a studio already under heavy financial and reputational pressure, with Payday 3 continuing to struggle more than a year after its launch.
New Layoffs Reported by Employees
Several Starbreeze employees have shared updates on LinkedIn indicating that additional job cuts have taken place.
QA engineer Alexander Pereswetoff-Morath stated that “many” staff members were notified and confirmed he is now seeking new employment. Senior Technical Producer Sabina af Jochnick also revealed that her role had been “identified as at risk of redundancy.”
At this time, Starbreeze has not confirmed how many employees were affected, leaving the total impact unclear.
A Pattern of Ongoing Staff Reductions
These latest reports follow earlier rounds of layoffs across the company.
Between 2024 and early 2025, roughly 15 percent of Starbreeze’s workforce was cut. Later in 2025, further reductions occurred after the cancellation of Project Baxter, the studio’s planned Dungeons & Dragons title.
Together, these cuts point to prolonged restructuring rather than a single isolated event.
Financial Pressure Continues to Mount
Starbreeze’s difficulties are closely tied to its financial performance. Company reports for 2024 showed a loss of approximately $18.5 million USD, highlighting multi-year fiscal strain.
With limited revenue growth and ongoing development costs, the studio appears to be operating under sustained economic pressure, making continued downsizing increasingly likely.
Payday 3’s Struggle to Recover
Payday 3 remains at the center of Starbreeze’s challenges.
Released in 2023, the game launched to mixed critical reception and widespread player dissatisfaction. Despite multiple attempts to rebuild trust, the title has struggled to regain a stable audience.
Recovery Efforts in 2025
Throughout 2025, Starbreeze introduced several initiatives aimed at reviving interest:
- Reacquiring full publishing rights for Payday 3
- Releasing the Party Powder heist on May 26
- Launching the Delivery Charge DLC
- Rolling out the Skill 2.0 system toward the end of the year
While these updates signaled renewed commitment, player engagement remained limited.
Player Numbers Show Limited Impact
Steam player data highlights the ongoing problem.
At launch, Payday 3 peaked near 78,000 concurrent players. In recent months, the 24-hour peak has dropped to around 686 players.
The Party Powder update briefly pushed concurrency to just under 3,000, but interest quickly declined again. Even the major Skill 2.0 overhaul failed to reach 2,000 concurrent players, suggesting the updates have not delivered long-term retention.
Industry-Wide Layoff Trend
Starbreeze’s situation mirrors a broader pattern across the games industry in 2025. Numerous studios and publishers have announced layoffs throughout the year, reflecting rising development costs, shifting player behavior, and increased financial risk across the sector.
While this places Starbreeze’s layoffs within a wider industry trend, it does little to ease concerns about the studio’s future — especially with Payday 3 still struggling to stabilize.
What Comes Next for Starbreeze?
With recurring layoffs, continued losses, and limited player recovery, Starbreeze faces difficult decisions ahead. Whether Payday 3 can still become a long-term success remains uncertain, and confidence in the studio’s stability continues to weaken.
Unless player engagement improves meaningfully, the pressure on Starbreeze — both financially and internally — is unlikely to ease anytime soon.
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