• Light/Dark

Starbreeze is probably about to go bankrupt

Robiin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
316
Uhm... this publicly traded company is really not doing too well. After their Walking Dead game seemingly flopped, it turns out the CEO had purchased stocks for borrowed money and had to sell at all-time-lows because the stocks worked as a security for the loan. In addition to that they just changed their estimate to negative earnings for the coming year. That just added to the downward momentum and investors are seemingly fleeing...

They either have to downsize and incredible amount very quickly (fire people), sell their assets (IP), or drain funds until there is nothing left (which wouldn't take too long considering how quickly their market cap is sinking).

2kpfVtp.png


Sooo, who is getting Payday? Microsoft or THQ Nordic?
 
Last edited:
Gurgelhals

Gurgelhals

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,745
Um, Starbreeze are the ones who are publishing (or supposed to publish) both System Shock 3 and Psychonauts 2, right?

Fuck :-(
 
Zukkoyaki

Zukkoyaki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,014
I've been worried about this for awhile.

They ballooned like crazy after PayDay 2. Started publishing games, opening offices around the world, developing a VR headset and such. Things have been going south for a couple years though. Walking Dead kept getting delayed, PayDay 3 isn't in sight and outside of Dead by Daylight their games like Raid WW2 kept bombing. Got too ambitious too quickly.
 
Buff Beefbroth

Buff Beefbroth

Chicken Chaser
Member
Apr 12, 2018
3,231
Really loved Enclave, Riddick, The Darkness, and Brothers. Maybe even Syndicate.

I feel like they lost a lot of talent after MachineGames split off from them, though.
 
EndlessNever

EndlessNever

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,890
Payday 2 was a great game on PC, but The Walking Dead took way too long to come out to be disappointing.
 
SpinlyLimbs

SpinlyLimbs

Banned
Feb 1, 2018
914
Would be a shame if they did, even if I didn't like Payday 2 I really loved Riddick and a few of their other games. Hopefully someone bails them out, whether that be THQ or MS. Honestly an ODST game with Riddicks gunplay and stealth could be great.
 
gdt

gdt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
10,183
Their whole Walking Dead situation is bizarre. They spent a lot on that game and told no one it was coming out.
 
Derachi

Derachi

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,699
Thoughts going out to the employees there. Hope you all land on your feet in the case something happens.
 
Saganator

Saganator

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,109
Silly of them to get into hardware (VR). They should drop that shit immediately, hopefully they got some tech and equipment they could sell off.
 
Zips

Zips

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,971
It's just speculation right now. Don't go in full panic mode yet.

And what's the deal with some of you already begging Microsoft to come and buy the company. Are we for real with this?
 
JigglesBunny

JigglesBunny

Prophet of Truth
Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
33,600
Chicago
Walking Dead definitely did them in, its a colossal bomb. Even if they don't sink yet, I wouldn't expect to see the console versions in February.
 
funky

funky

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,527
That Walking Dead game finally came out?

I feel like I have heard them talk about for damn near 10 years and it finally came out without me noticing.
 
Fisty

Fisty

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,322
Unfortunately it's probably cheaper for THQ to swoop during the aftermath. Hopefully the staff lands on their feet if true

A Grizzly Bear said:
That might not be a bad thing after how they handled the console version of Payday 2.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yep I have never bought a product from them after that. It was a lot of talk pre-launch and then the support just stopped cold. KF2 is how it should be done.
 

eddy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,009
They're likely going to end up issuing new stock and raise cash that way, or at least try. They've been spending years going down the drain and I don't expect a sudden death. It'd be welcome, it just not how these things usually play out.

You knew it would end poorly when they started going into VR hardware, and Enterspace with this probably burning millions and millions alone.

I see almost nothing of value in this company. The domestic scene is relatively large with a lot of studios looking for people, they simply don't have the money to keep the good people around. Anyone with any drive can (and have) "just" skip over to DICE, Paradox, MachineGames and a multitude of other good devs... now including Embark.
 
Last edited:
Oreoleo

Oreoleo

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,091
Ohio
Zukkoyaki said:
I've been worried about this for awhile.

They ballooned like crazy after PayDay 2. Started publishing games, opening offices around the world, developing a VR headset and such. Things have been going south for a couple years though. Walking Dead kept getting delayed, PayDay 3 isn't in sight and outside of Dead by Daylight their games like Raid WW2 kept bombing. Got too ambitious too quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

While you're right that DBD was very successful for Starbreeze, earlier this year Behaviour bought out Starbreeze's stake in the game, so that well has now also run dry for them.
 
Krvavi Abadas

Krvavi Abadas

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,254
Videoland
tomofthepops said:
Thq Nordic to the rescue !
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is exactly what's going to happen.

A lot of the major devs at Starbreeze have left a while ago.
  • Several main studio employees went off to form MachineGames, which developed the recent Wolfenstein games.
  • Overkill (The Payday devs) lost basically all of their founders, who decided to form 10 Chambers. Which is currently working on the poorly named GTFO.
All that's really left in the development pipeline is Payday 3, and the publishing agreements for System Shock 3/Psychonauts 2. With the latter most likely being the thing that'll convince THQ to grab the company.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.