Starbreeze Studios CEO Out Less Than Six Months After Payday 3 Launch

Starbreeze Studios CEO Tobias Sjögren is no longer with the studio and the Payday 3 developer is now recruiting for a new leader. This news comes from a recent notice to investors that explains board member Juergen Goeldner is taking over as interim CEO in the meantime, as reported by GameDeveloper. 

While Starbreeze’s messaging around Sjögren’s leave isn’t super clear – the team simply says it is bidding farewell to the former CEO – today’s news arrives after Payday 3 failed to meet expectations, according to GameDeveloper. 

“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to thank Tobias Sjögren for his achievements during the past three years,” board chairman Torgny Hellström writes in the notice to investors. “Tobias took over the helm of Starbreeze in a challenging phase of its journey and we wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Goeldner, the new interim CEO, adds, “Starbreeze has a strong history of developing and publishing games globally. After launching Payday 3, the company is well-positioned to leverage the strengths of the organization to monetize and develop the IP portfolio. I am looking forward to assuming an operative position and, together with the management, ensure the execution of this strategy.”

Goeldner has 40 years of experience in the games industry, including several executive positions, according to the notice. His last executive position was as CEO of Focus Home Interactive. He has been a member of Starbreeze’s board of directors since last year. Starbreeze has initiated a recruitment process for a permanent CEO. 

Payday 3 hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 21. We enjoyed the game around launch, giving it an 8 out of 10 in the Game Informer Payday 3 review. More than 3 million people played Payday 3 in its first month, but the game still failed to meet the expectations of the studio. 

[Source: GameDeveloper]

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