Yesterday's PlayStation Showcase was a bit of a mixed bag overall. With PlayStation's future line-up being a tad unclear, it was more important than ever for PlayStation's Summer Showcase to hit big, and make its mark on the industry. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to those lofty expectations. While there was still a handful of exciting announcements, like the confirmation that Metal Gear Solid 3 is getting a remake, the first look at Marvel's Spider-Man 2's gameplay, and a Marathon revival from Bungie, PlayStation's Showcase felt a little lackluster. Still, its first reveal, Fairgames, was an interesting way to kick things off.
While it may not have been the most exciting way to start off a PlayStation Showcase, Fairgames did set the tone for a lot of the event, showing that online multiplayer games were going to be a big focus of the showcase. A brand-new IP from the studio Haven, Fairgames sees teams of robbers face off against each other in an attempt to all loot the same vault. Naturally, Fairgames was immediately compared to another heist-centric franchise, Payday, but it might have beaten it to the punch.
Fairgames Could Steal Payday 3's Thunder
Back on January 1 of this year, Starbreeze Studios dropped a 30-second teaser trailer for its long-awaited Payday 3 that showed practically nothing about the game itself, aside from the silhouettes of four characters. At the end of the trailer, a titlecard boldly claims that "This is the year of Payday 3." It's been almost five months since then, and Payday 3 is still nowhere to be seen.
With Payday 2 having come out all the way back in 2013, it's been 10 years since the last entry in the co-op heisting series, and many fans are desperate for another excellent entry. However, with a decade having passed, many fans are hoping that Payday 3 steps things up significantly. It's no longer enough for Payday 3 to just copy its predecessor's homework and call it a day, the sequel needs to make some major additions to Payday's beloved gameplay loop, including new classes and skills, new mission types, new enemy types, and much more. But while some fans are clamoring for Payday 3, other fans are content with the clones that have come out since.
In lieu of an actual Payday title, the last 10 years have brought with them a number of Payday clones. Just recently, the star-studded but critically-panned Crime Boss: Rockay City heavily borrowed Payday's core gameplay loop for itself, and while its quality didn't even come close to Payday 2, it did scratch that itch for some fans. Additionally, Payday isn't the only heist gaming series around anymore, with Grand Theft Auto 5 muscling its way in gradually over the last decade, and becoming, arguably, the best heist game ever made. Put simply, Payday 3 is going to need to do quite a bit to stand out in the current market, a market that's only getting more crowded by the day.
Fairgames seems to be the latest co-op heist game inspired by Payday, and it may have a slight edge over it. While Payday 3 will presumably be another 4-player co-op game where players are set against AI, Fairgames pits its players against fellow heisters, all fighting for the same loot. So while Fairgames can't avoid its Payday comparisons, its competitive nature should give it a much-needed edge over the competition, and that edge could end up knocking the wind out of Payday 3's sails.
Fairgames is in development for PC and PS5.
