505 Games parent acquires Starbreeze stake

The owner of 505 Games has acquired a 2.67 per cent stake in Payday and Brothers developer Starbreeze.

The deal, worth $5m, values the Swedish studio at $187m.

The agreement also brings with it a two-year extension to the existing partnership between the pair, with Digital Bros investing $13.4m into the ongoing development of Payday 2 and its expansion onto next-gen consoles, as well an additional $1,4m specifically for the game’s Crimewave Edition.

505’s publishing rights for Payday have also been extended by ten years taking it through to 2032.

We’ve said that we’ll never stop making Payday and the board is extremely happy to see where the franchise is today," Starbreeze chairman Michael Hjorth said.

The strategic partnership with 505 Games continues to strengthen us and the Payday investment alone doubles down on our previous spend. We will yet again see the Payday franchise being expanded with more heists, weapons, characters and even new game modes such as driving cars. Payday as a franchise is here to stay and with it we are building a solid financial foundation for the company for years to come."

Starbreeze CEO Bo Andersson Klint added: With this investment I feel Digital Bros proves their long term belief in Starbreeze and in its brands. As the largest owner, it’s very reassuring to get another strong partner to support our future success.”

In January 505 acquired the Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons IP from Starbreeze for $500k.