EA’s former senior director of global commercial strategy Adolf Kristjansson is taking charge of Payday developer Starbreeze.
The Starbreeze board confirmed Kristjansson will begin his tenure as CEO on April 1, 2025. The new boss will work to turn the company in to a “true multi-title studio.”
His appointment will see interim CEO Mats Juhl return to his role of chief financial officer.
The news comes around a year after Starbreeze ousted then-CEO Tobias Sjögren with Payday 3 underperforming following a torrid launch.
At the time, Starbreeze claimed it needed “different leadership” to bolster the performance of key franchises and execute on a strategy centred around “creating attractive games on our own and licensed IPs.”
The company board will hope Kristjansson—who spent 13 years at EA working on franchises like FIFA, Battlefield, and Apex Legends—can rise to the challenge.
“I join Starbreeze with great enthusiasm for the company’s current and future projects, not the least the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons title. I look forward to continuing the work of expanding the Payday franchise further and building Starbreeze into a true multi-title studio,” said Kristjansson in a note to investors.
“Most of all, I look forward to working closely with our talented teams and engaging with our passionate player community as we build the next chapter of Starbreeze together.”
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Starbreeze recently suggested Payday 3 is on the road to recovery but recorded a full-year loss of $18.5 million during the full-year ended December 2024.
That came after net sales associated with Payday 3 tumbled dramatically year-over-year.
Starbreeze, however, feels the threequel and broader franchise will benefit from “brand extension” initiatives with PUBG and Roblox and a promotional campaign that saw it become the Monthly Game in February on PlayStation Plus—letting subscribers claim it for free.