When Starbreeze announced the cancellation of their co-op Dungeons & Dragons project, codenamed Project Baxter, it felt like watching a creative spirit being crushed beneath the weight of corporate pragmatism. The studio, best known for the Payday franchise, made the difficult but unsurprising decision to abandon their fantasy adventure in favor of doubling down on what they know best: heisting games. This move represents more than just a business strategy shift—it’s a sobering reminder of how the gaming industry increasingly prioritizes safe bets over creative exploration, even when those safe bets come at the cost of human livelihoods and artistic growth.
The decision to lay off approximately 44 employees while redirecting remaining staff to Payday projects reveals the harsh mathematics of modern game development. CEO Adolf Kristjansson called it “a difficult but necessary decision,” but that corporate language masks the real human cost. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re developers who poured their passion into creating something new, only to see their work discarded and their careers disrupted. The promise of “active support” for affected employees sounds reassuring, but in an industry experiencing widespread layoffs, finding new roles is far from guaranteed.
What’s particularly telling is Starbreeze’s justification: “We are doubling down on what our players love—and what we do best—owning the heisting genre.” This statement reveals a fundamental tension in game development today. On one hand, it makes perfect business sense to focus on your strengths and established fanbase. Payday 3’s recent release means there’s momentum to capitalize on, and the franchise represents a known quantity in an increasingly volatile market. Yet this retreat to familiar territory suggests a lack of confidence in their ability to innovate beyond their comfort zone.
The cancellation of Project Baxter represents a missed opportunity not just for Starbreeze, but for the gaming community. A cooperative Dungeons & Dragons game from a studio with experience in multiplayer action could have brought something fresh to both the fantasy genre and the co-op gaming space. The decision to write off SEK 255 million speaks volumes about the financial pressures facing mid-sized studios, but it also raises questions about whether we’re entering an era where only the biggest, safest franchises get greenlit while more experimental projects get sacrificed at the altar of shareholder value.
As Starbreeze pivots to transform Payday 3 into what they call a “modern live-engagement game,” we’re left wondering if this industry consolidation comes at too high a price. The gaming landscape risks becoming increasingly homogenized when studios feel they can’t afford to take creative risks. While focusing on core strengths might ensure short-term survival, it could ultimately limit the medium’s artistic evolution. The real tragedy here isn’t just the cancellation of one game or the loss of jobs—it’s the gradual narrowing of creative possibilities in an industry that should be defined by its capacity for innovation and surprise.
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