POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT AUDIT · VERIFIED

Payday 2

Overkill Software · 2013 · Co-op heist shooter

Did the studio keep supporting this game after launch? This page is the evidence.

AFTERCARE SCORE 69 Tier C · Promising Pattern: Recovery

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LAUNCH CONDITIONMixed

AFTERCARE PATTERNRecovery

AUDIT STATUSVerified

Thirteen years of support and two comebacks do not fully erase the Crimefest trust break, but the long arc is one of repair.

01Score breakdown

Patch speed15 / 20

Maintenance quality18 / 20

Communication11 / 20

Player responsiveness13 / 20

Follow-through12 / 20

Five categories, 20 points each, 100 total. Full method on the methodology page.

02The evidence

Payday 2 launched August 2013 with a hard no-microtransactions pledge, then broke it with the Crimefest 2015 Black Market update (paid drills to open safes with stat-boosting weapon skins), triggering review bombing and a moderator strike. After a weeks-long silence Overkill issued a full apology and engaged the community, then kept the game alive through paid and free DLC for years, restarted development after a 2018-2019 pause, and in October 2025 handed PC maintenance to modder-rooted studio Sidetrack Games.

2015 Black Market update added $2.49 drills for safes containing stat-boosting skins after a 2013 pledge of no microtransactions whatsoever, sparking review bombing and a volunteer moderator strike.
Overkill told angry players to wait days, then silently added drills to loot drops without explanation, and only weeks later issued a full apology and put eight staff members in the forums.
Development was restarted in 2019 after a halt, and in October 2025 Starbreeze partnered with Sidetrack Games (ex-modders) for PC quality-of-life updates while the core team stayed on Payday 3.
Post-2023, with Payday 3 struggling at launch, players returned to Payday 2 and vocal demand helped drive the 2025 support handoff.

03Sources

01Payday 2 players in uproar after developer adds microtransactions to Crimefest eventArchival reportingVisit 02How A Game Studio Totally Bungled A Controversy And Lost All Good WillArchival reportingVisit 03Overkill: These past few weeks we screwed upDeveloper statementVisit 04Starbreeze restarts Payday 2 development, paid and free DLC incomingArchival reportingVisit 05Starbreeze partners with ex-modders to support PAYDAY 2 in the long-termArchival reportingVisit

04Audit record

Launch date: Aug 13, 2013
Evidence coverage through: Oct 7, 2026
Methodology: v1.0
Audit confidence: Medium
Why this confidence: Five verified sources spanning 2015 to 2025 cover the core arc (controversy, apology, support restarts, 2025 handoff), but day-to-day update cadence in the 2021-2022 tail was not directly confirmed and the Sidetrack era is too young to judge on results, so later-arc judgments are inferred rather than proven.
Score band: Promising (Tier C)

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