This is big news from Starbreeze, the studio responsible for the series Payday, which loses its CEO Tobias Sjögren. Ousted by the board of directors, the bitter failure of Payday 3 will not be forgiven. While waiting for a new head to take his place, Juergen Goeldner, former CEO of Focus Entertainment, takes charge. With this drastic change, the objective is to create a breath of fresh air to focus on future projects.
At the head of the company since 2020, Tobias Sjögren will remain available for Starbreeze while the transition takes place. But for the board of directors, it was no longer possible to keep him in this position. A change was necessary to ensure the start of a new economic strategy.
“The company has a clear strategy focused on creating engaging games on our own and licensed IPs. The board’s assessment is that executing the strategy requires different leadership. »
Torgny Hellström, president of Starbreeze
It is therefore a total change of direction that Starbreeze is undertaking by separating from its very young CEO. An understandable choice after the bad start of Payday 3. However, despite its qualities, the game has only gotten worse over the weeks. Currently, its predecessor still has many users while it is struggling to reach 300 players. However, Juergen Goeldner does not give up and seems to want to rely on the studio’s already existing strengths.
“Following the launch of Payday 3, the company is well positioned to leverage the organization’s strengths to monetize and grow its intellectual property portfolio. I look forward to taking on an operational role and, with management, ensuring the execution of this strategy. »
Juergen Goeldner, interim CEO of Starbreeze