Summary
Starbreeze Studios has announced a surprising collaboration between the 2012 indie gameHotline MiamiandPayday 3. While the two series have collaborated in the past,Hotline Miamihasn’t been particularly relevant for a long time, making its inclusion inPayday 3a pleasant surprise.
Payday 3has faced an uphill battle ever since its launch. It received an extremely polarizing response upon launch, and didn’t feature nearly as much content as its predecessor. Many were left wondering why they’d bother to leavePayday 2behind at all. For a short time in 2024,Payday 3clawed its way to “Mostly Positive” Steam reviews, although this has since fallen back to “Mixed.” That hasn’t stopped Starbreeze Studios from continuing to work onPayday 3, despite the game failing to meet critical or commercial expectations.
A new trailer released online confirmed thatPayday 3is getting aHotline Miamicollaboration, bringing one of thebest indie games of all timeto the heist shooter. The pack itself will allow gamers to play as the voiceless protagonist Jacket, and adds several new weapons to the game. One of the new Overkill Weapons is called Sociopath, and looks just like the baseball bat Jacket uses inHotline Miami. The Jacket Character Pack is set to release forPayday 3on February 3, coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC versions of the game.
Payday 3 is Getting a Hotline Miami Collaboration on February 3
Curiously, this isn’t the first collaboration between the two. AHotline MiamiDLC was also released forPayday 2back in 2014, although notably, this was when the hype for the original game was still high, and the sequel was still in the works. Therehasn’t been aHotline Miamigame in almost a decade, and as great as it is, it’s undoubtedly less relevant than it was at the time. Therefore, it’s pretty surprising to see this collaboration come to life. It’s still a welcome surprise - moreHotline Miamiis never a bad thing.
It remains to be seen what the future holds forPayday 3. The franchise still has plenty of name value among gamers, but it has undeniably been hurt by the reaction toPayday 3. It was announced at the tail end of 2024 thatPayday 3will be getting a lower level of investment moving forward, a worrying sign for fans. While Starbreeze Studios remains confident it can deliver good value to players, it has a very long road ahead if the game is to live up to the legacy of its predecessor.
Payday 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Step out of retirement back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang, the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law-enforcement wherever they go. Several years after the crew’s reign of terror over Washington DC has ended, they assemble once again to deal with the threat that roused them out of early retirement.The legendary Payday Crew, dreaded by the law and underworld alike, is back. Ripped from their peaceful retirement to rejoin the criminal world by a new threat, one born from the chaos the Crew left in their wake. In order to identify and crush this new threat, the Crew is leaving their Washington DC roots behind them and moving to New York City. A new location will bring with it new challenges, but also new opportunities for a heister with a plan.A professional heister knows it takes planning, hard work and a good amount of luck in order to execute a successful heist. In PAYDAY 3 the choice is put in the hands of the players, deciding how to tackle the heist, whether you sneak or go in guns blazing, whether you let your hostages go or keep them around as pawns, whether you go at it alone or bring friends. The choices are endless and in your hands, they will vastly change how the game plays.
