An upcoming Dungeons and Dragons project being created by developer Starbreeze Studios has been canceled, mainly in favor of distributing more resources to promote and improve the Payday franchise. It sounds as though many members of the development team behind the Dungeons and Dragons game will be keeping their jobs, as Starbreeze has announced plans to redistribute them among other projects.
Emulating the feeling of an epic Dungeons and Dragons campaign can be a very successful formula for developers, as recent years have proven. Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3 earned a tidal wave of accolades in 2023, including at awards shows, where its Best Game or Game of the Year wins numbered in the double digits. More recently, Aspyr’s release of the Enhanced Edition of Neverwinter Nights 2 in July has been met with positive critical reviews.
Dungeons and Dragons Game Shut Down in Favor of Payday
Despite that potential, the developer behind the Payday franchise has announced that it will be ending development of Project Baxter, the Dungeons and Dragons project Starbreeze first announced in December 2023, less than three months after Payday 3‘s launch. According to the studio, shutting down development is a strategic move approved by the company’s board of directors and managers that is expected to save about 255 million Swedish krona, or roughly $27.1 million USD, in the third quarter of the 2025 fiscal year. It also states that some members of the development team will be reallocated to other projects in development at Starbreeze, with the Payday franchise receiving the lion’s share of the resources. There will be some terminations, however, as it goes on to state that Starbreeze will be providing support to some team members “to transition to new roles across the industry.”
With development on the fantasy game shut down, the bulk of the company’s focus will now be back on the Payday franchise. Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson noted that Payday is a money-maker for Starbreeze, citing the franchise’s more than $425 million in past revenue and its engagement with over 50 million players worldwide. “This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders,” he stated.
Not much was publicly known about the now-canceled Dungeons and Dragons game. Initial reports from 2023 indicated that it would have been a co-op live-service game, promising a “larger than life experience,” according to Starbreeze at the time. Kristjansson expressed thanks to the development team and Wizards of the Coast, stating the company is still proud of them for their achievements despite the game not coming to fruition.