Starbreeze has cancelled its Dungeons & Dragons game and is laying off 44 staff as it focuses on Payday
D&D game Project Baxter was supposed to be released next year
Swedish developer Starbreeze Studios has cancelled its Dungeons & Dragons game and plans to lay off 44 staff as it shifts its main focus to the Payday series.
The studio announced today that it will “discontinue development” of its D&D title, codenamed Project Baxter, which was originally announced in 2023 with an anticipated 2026 release window.
“Following a strategic review, the Board of Directors and management have concluded that resources are best deployed to accelerate the growth of Starbreeze’s flagship Payday franchise,” it said in a press release.
Some of the Project Baxter team will be redeployed across Starbreeze’s other projects, “most prominently within Payday”, but the studio also notes that “headcount will be reduced by approximately 44 [full-time employees] across employees and contractors, leading to a lower cost base going forward”.
The studio believes that by cancelling Project Baxter and increasing its focus on the Payday series, it will become cash-flow positive next year.
“This was a difficult but necessary decision,” Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson said in a statement. “Our strategy is clear – Payday is one of the most iconic IPs in gaming, with unmatched reach and potential.
“By focusing our investment and talent here, we can accelerate delivery, engage players with more content, and reinforce Starbreeze’s position as the clear leader in the heisting genre. This is about sharpening our focus to create the strongest long-term value for our players, our people, and our shareholders.”
Referring to Dungeons & Dragons’ IP owners, he added: “I want to sincerely thank the Baxter team for their passion and creativity, and express appreciation to Wizards of the Coast for their support.
“Though we have made the decision to not continue forward with this project, we are proud of what was achieved in Baxter, and those contributions will carry forward into Payday and the future of Starbreeze. By concentrating our efforts on Payday we give Starbreeze and all our employees the best chance to succeed.”
Payday 3 was released in September 2023 and had a troubled launch, with major server issues leading to earnings that publisher Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors called “below management expectations”.
As a result of the game’s initial poor performance, Starbreeze removed CEO Tobias Sjögren in 2024, then laid off around 15% of its workforce in late 2024 before naming Kristjansson as its new CEO in March 2025.
