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[03/18/26 - 09:28 AM]
Vice Studios Secures Worldwide Adaptation Rights for Iconic Video Game IP "Payday" Partnering with Starbreeze Entertainment to Expand the Video Game Franchise Into Film and Television
Over 15 years of continuous development have made the "Payday" name synonymous with heisting, serving a massive community of more than 50 million players.
[via press release from Vice]

VICE STUDIOS SECURES WORLDWIDE ADAPTATION RIGHTS FOR ICONIC VIDEO GAME IP "PAYDAY" PARTNERING WITH STARBREEZE ENTERTAINMENT TO EXPAND THE VIDEO GAME FRANCHISE INTO FILM AND TELEVISION

Deal Builds on VICE Studios' Legacy of Expanding Bold, High-Impact Universes

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 18, 2026 - VICE Studios (Gangs of London) has partnered with Starbreeze Entertainment to bring the iconic, long-running video game franchise PAYDAY to global audiences beyond games, securing film and television rights. The announcement was made today by VICE Studios President Amy Powell and Starbreeze Entertainment CEO Adolf Kristjansson.

Since its launch in 2011, PAYDAY has gone from a game to a global phenomenon. Over 15 years of continuous development have made the PAYDAY name synonymous with heisting, serving a massive community of more than 50 million players.

The game's masked protagonists have proven that no score is too audacious, no enemy too powerful, and no fortune enough to stop their criminal ambitions. The cinematic heists mix high-octane action in exciting heist locations with stories about betrayal, conspiracy, and corruption.

"PAYDAY has a world that is bigger than the game itself," said Amy Powell, President of VICE Studios. "There's mythology behind the masks and a crew of characters with real history that is incredibly exciting to explore. Partnering with Starbreeze Entertainment, we're excited to build that universe and see how far it can go on screen."

"Our goal is to grow PAYDAY from a game into a full entertainment platform, owning the heisting genre," said Adolf Kristjansson, CEO of Starbreeze Entertainment. "PAYDAY is the cornerstone franchise for Starbreeze, and we're highly selective about partners who can expand its universe beyond games. VICE Studios is the perfect partner for this project, combining creative ambition with the production capability that feels authentic to PAYDAY."

Securing the adaptation rights for PAYDAY builds on VICE Studios' legacy of developing immersive, world-driven franchises from fan-favorite IP, including the high-energy, cinematic series Gangs of London, now heading into its fourth season with further franchise expansion underway, as well as the recent series Atomic, inspired by the non-fiction book Atomic Bazaar.

About VICE Studios:

VICE Studios, a division of VICE Media, develops, finances and produces premium, award-winning and culture-defining content for the global marketplace. Operating with a full-service production facility, VICE Studios powers scripted, unscripted and branded content that anticipates culture with a distinct bold, authentic, raw and unfiltered VICE lens. The studio is behind the critically-acclaimed Gangs of London, in production for a fourth season on Sky in the UK with the third season currently airing on AMC+. Recent scripted titles include the adrenaline-charged thriller Atomic, for Sky, and the satirical feature Bad Apples, starring Oscar-nominated Saoirse Ronan, which premiered at TIFF in 2025 and other festivals. The studio is behind a string of hits for VICE TV including Out of Bounds, Dark Side of the Cage, Dark Side of the Ring, Hell's Angels and United Gangs of America. Other recent unscripted titles include Into the Void (Hulu), Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam (Prime Video), Pavements (Mubi), Bama Rush (HBO), and Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now (Netflix). VICE Studios owns and operates the Cuba Pictures label, behind the hit Channel 5 series The Rumour and RTE's The Walsh Sisters. At VICE, we take creative risks, challenge convention, and we live to tell the story.

About PAYDAY(R)

PAYDAY is Starbreeze's flagship co-op heisting franchise, spanning PC and console games with a global community. It is one of the world's most recognized co-op heisting experiences, having engaged more than 50 million players and generated more than $400 million in lifetime gross revenue.

With the franchise at the core of Starbreeze's strategy, PAYDAY continues to evolve through new content and live engagement, partnerships, and licensing that expand the universe to new audiences and formats. PAYDAY is a registered trademark of Starbreeze AB (publ).

About Starbreeze Entertainment Starbreeze is an independent developer, publisher, and distributor of video games targeting the global market. Housing the smash hit IP PAYDAY, Starbreeze develops games based on proprietary and third-party rights, both in-house and in partnership with external game developers. Starbreeze shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm under the tickers STAR A and STAR B. For more information, please visit www.starbreeze.com

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