Starbreeze Studios is facing mounting pressure as server disruptions for Payday 3 persist, leaving a multitude of players unable to access the game for the fourth consecutive day. The game, which was launched on 21st September after a three-day early access period, has been plagued with server issues, particularly during peak times. This has rendered the always-online heist shooter unplayable for many due to continuous matchmaking shutdowns, reported PlayerAuctions.
On the game's launch day, Starbreeze acknowledged the issues on their social media platforms, stating they were "currently experiencing slow matchmaking" and were actively "investigating and working on a solution." However, five hours after this announcement, the servers remained inaccessible. Despite attempts to rectify the situation with server-side fixes, matchmaking instability persisted across all gaming platforms.
Starbreeze conveyed their frustration, stating, "We realize that the matchmaking issues are frustrating, they are for us as well. We're still here and still working on getting you all back into the game, stay tuned." Yet, by the next day, as UK players returned from work, school, and university, the servers once again faltered around 5 pm UK time.
The studio continued to update players, noting an "increase of matchmaking issues" and admitting that all platforms were struggling with matchmaking. This not only affected UK and European players but also impacted US players during their prime gaming hours.
By September 23, 2023, Starbreeze optimistically tweeted that "things are starting to look better" and that players were beginning to "create lobbies again and getting back in the game". However, reports of connectivity issues persisted.
The ongoing server problems have sparked a range of reactions on social media. While some commend the studio for their efforts to resolve the issues, others express disappointment, particularly given Starbreeze's decision to make Payday 3 strictly online-only. This decision essentially locks players out of the game entirely during server downtimes.
On September 25th, Starbreeze stated:
https://twitter.com/PAYDAYGame/status/1706053594988855618?embedable=true
Raising hopes that services recovery would be quick, however, less than an hour later, Starbreeze warned players that matchmaking services and general server stability had degraded again:
https://twitter.com/PAYDAYGame/status/1706068049239982528?embedable=true
Frustrations have mounted, with players lamenting: “This is crazy i’m honestly starting to believe that they aren’t even trying to increase server capacity. I think they’re gonna ride this out until enough people give up trying to get on and the server stabilizes that way.”
On a separate note, Starbreeze recently announced that Payday 3 would not incorporate the controversial DRM system, Denuvo. The studio confirmed this in a straightforward update on Steam, stating, "Denuvo is no longer in Payday 3".