Fans have been waiting for Payday 3 since the title's existence was first announced back in 2016, but financial troubles for its developers at Starbreeze has led to a number of troubles for the game. While many fans know that they can expect to see some co-op bank robbing action from Payday 3 once it finally releases, there has been very little revealed about the game in the years since its announcement. Now, in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary, the game's setting has been confirmed, and it wll see the gang travelling from Payday 2's Washington D.C. area to the bright and bustling New York City.
The announcement of New York City as Payday 3's setting has understandably built a lot of excitement in fans of the series. With how Payday 2 has grown and evolved over the course of its lifespan, a rich setting like New York City presents an entirely new palette for the developers to draw from and use to create some truly unique missions and heists. There are some great ways that Payday 3 could capitalize on its new setting, and it should do so by leaning into the city's strengths of its variety, and cultural relevance. While fans will need to wait until 2023 to experience Payday's version of New York, it should be worth the wait.
How Payday 3 Should Use New York City's Strengths
One of the biggest strengths of New York City is the sheer variety of locations and environments that the developers can draw on for the game's missions. Being able to do a Die Hard-like heist in a skyscraper followed by one in Chinatown that bleeds into Little Italy would do wonders for the game's mission variety. It would also help Payday 3 mix up the types of missions that players can do as well to help add to the replayability that is so integral to the series. Payday 2 has grown to have a lot of variety thanks to its numerous DLCs, but Payday 3 will have to launch with a healthy range of unique missions to encourage fans to jump over to the newest entry.
Of course, the new title should also draw on New York City's unique place in culture as well, from its perfect association with the mafia to its landmarks. Giving players interactions with the mafia would be a great way to make the location stand out for longtime fans, while utilizing the city's landmarks like stashing loot in the Statue of Liberty or shooting one's way through a clogged Brooklynn Bridge would help its missions stand out and be memorable. Alongside the addition of new mechanics and improvements over its predecessor, capitalizing on its setting will help Payday 3 satisfy the series' many fans.
It will be very interesting to see how the developers attempt to follow up Payday 2, since it is regarded by some as one of the best tactical shooters of all time. Developing a successful sequel to a game that has sustained a devoted player base for so long is no easy task, but at least the developers seem to have a strong base to build on with the game's setting. Hopefully, the studio will continue to give updates to fans as Payday 3's release date approaches, making the long wait a bit more bearable.
Payday 3 is currently in development and aims to release in 2023.