DLC Subscription.
Payday 2 has been out for twelve years now, and over that time it has accrued a massive amount of DLC. We’re talkin 79 DLC packages on Steam totaling over $250 USD in MSRP. A big ask for someone getting into the game for the first time.
So what does Starbreeze do to onboard newer players? DLC Subscription. For $5 per month or $20 for six months you can get access to all of the DLC up front. You don’t own it, but you get to play it while subscribed and maybe funnel you into buying it sometime down the line.
The playerbase isn’t happy. As of today over 300 people have taken to the Steam reviews to give the game a negative rating and take the recent review score to a mixed 62%. The addition of the subscription came alongside a poorly timed increase in price to the game’s Infamous DLC package and players are taking that as a sign that Starbreeze is further trying to funnel people into the “rent but don’t own” subscription.
Starbreeze has been in the doghouse for their players after the disastrous release of Payday 3 and the news that the company would be receiving “a significantly lower level of investment” in its second year. Starbreeze is also continuing work on Project Baxter, a Dungeons & Dragons game.
MMO Fallout 