Payday 2 DLC Bundle $50 Price Hike Was 'An Error,' Starbreeze Insists

Payday 2 developer Starbreeze has acknowledged it "made a mistake" when launching a premium subscription service and raising the price of its $100 DLC package by 50%.

The subscription — introduced earlier this week — offered "full access to more than 65 DLCs, featuring heists, weapons, and cosmetics... for a low monthly fee" of $4.99 per month, or $19.99 for six months. At the time, the company stated it allowed players to "explore Payday 2's extensive content library at their own pace, mastering the art of heisting one crime at a time" and the subscription — available via Steam — could be canceled anytime.

Starbreeze, however, did not inform players considering buying the Payday 2 Infamous Collection that it had quietly raised the price from $100 to $150 at the start of September, just weeks before launching the subscription. Fans criticized the developer for "trying to hide the price increase."

In a statement to GameDeveloper, head of commercial Gustav Nisser admitted the company had "failed in internal coordination and communication with our community."

"The negative response is completely understandable, and the community has clearly shown how the price change and timing appeared from their perspective," Nisser said. "We agree with the community, we made a mistake here, and we have restored the bundle's original price immediately."

He added: "Looking back, we should have recognized how it would look. Since the bundle only charges for items you don’t own, and the bundle discount is combined with any other discounts (i.e., discounts on the included items), the actual full price of the bundle can vary significantly."

"Heisters – we’ve received feedback about the Infamy Collection pricing change that occurred earlier this month, and we have investigated," Starbreeze said to players on X/Twitter. "The pricing has been restored to its original level, and we apologize for this mistake."

Starbreeze's Haua also mentioned on Reddit: "I know no one will believe me, but it was an error. Regardless, the damage is done, and we hope that with this adjustment, anyone who wanted to get any DLC can do so through the collection.

"We appreciate everyone who brought up the issue and kept discussing it! Keep being yourselves, and we hope we can regain any trust that may have been lost."

A quick check on Steam.db shows the price for the Infamous Collection has indeed been restored, although it’s unclear if anyone who paid the extra 50% in the past few weeks will be reimbursed.