A new Payday has been announced for virtual reality platforms. As the first new game in the series since the disappointing launch of Payday 3, Payday: Aces High will certainly face a high level of scrutiny at launch.
Payday: Aces High, much like the PC and console games it’s based on, is a four-player co-op heist game where players work together to steal from the rich. The game gets its title because the crew is made up of the Ace of Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades, each of whom players can choose to play as and equip with different guns and gadgets like a grappling hook. Players complete missions to earn cash, which can then be spent on skill and gear upgrades.
Starbreeze Entertainment CEO Adolf Kristjansson argues that Payday: Aces High is “not just an adaptation” but a “true Payday game built from the ground up for this medium,” in the press release announcing it. From the trailer, the gameplay of Payday: Aces High certainly looks similar to the PC and console games rather than a brief VR experience based on a known IP.
It’s being developed by Fast Travel Games, a studio that has previously developed VR adaptations of franchises like Stellaris, Vampire: The Masquerade, Cities: Skylines, and Wraith. Some of the original games it’s best known for include first-person shooters Mannequin and Action Hero.
Payday: Aces High’s announcement comes shortly after a new movie and TV show deal for the franchise was announced. Starbreeze clearly is trying to gain some goodwill for the franchise back with these new efforts, as Payday 3 disappointed. Because of poor server stability at release and some controversial changes to core game mechanics like progression, it never really resonated with players.
If you were to look at SteamDB today, you’d see that the concurrent player count of Payday 2, which came out in 2013, is much higher than that of the more recent Payday 3. While it’s unlikely that a new VR game will match Payday 2’s numbers, Fast Travel Games does have a chance to help Starbreeze rehabilitate the franchise and make a co-op shooter that people like more than the latest mainline Payday title.
We’ll see if that pans out when Payday: Aces High launches for Meta and Steam-related VR platforms.
