Starbreeze Cancels Project Baxter, Its D&D Game
The Swedish company intends to focus on the Payday franchise
In December 2023, Starbreeze Entertainment announced Project Baxter, which was intended to be a cooperative multiplayer game based on the game-as-a-service model, set in the popular Dungeons & Dragons universe (particularly popular that year, when Baldur's Gate 3 was released). The initial intention was to release Project Baxter in 2026, and things seemed to be going smoothly: a 2024 report indicated that development was progressing rapidly.
Project Canceled, Employees Laid Off
This year, things have changed radically. In a press release, the cancellation of Project Baxter was announced, a decision that CEO Adolf Kristjansson calls "difficult, but necessary". Starbreeze's intention is to focus heavily on the company's main franchise, Payday, which, however, is not doing well. Some of Project Baxter's developers will be redirected to Payday, but unfortunately for the others, about 44, layoffs will occur.