Starbreeze has appointed seasoned games industry leader Jonas Skantz as General Manager of PAYDAY franchise, tasked with steering the franchise's creative and commercial direction. Bringing more than 20 years of games development and leadership experience, Jonas will guide the next chapter for one of the world's most successful co-op game series.
Jonas joined Starbreeze in August 2025 and is working closely with teams across the company to shape the future of the PAYDAY franchise. His role encompasses guiding the long-term creative strategy, fostering collaboration between development and publishing, and ensuring that PAYDAY continues to deliver world-class co-op heist experiences to its global player base.
Over his career, Jonas has been credited on more than 40 titles, including Battlefield, FIFA, Star Wars, and Need for Speed. He played a pivotal role in the Frostbite engine's evolution from a single-studio tool to an EA-wide initiative, including the multi-year migration that transitioned FIFA (EA Sports FC) onto Frostbite - a technology that continues to power the franchise's annual releases. He also led the tools development for Battlefield games, including Battlefield 3.
"It's an incredible privilege to join the Starbreeze team and work on a franchise as iconic as PAYDAY. Over my first week, I've had the pleasure of speaking with people across the company about the IP's history, present, and future. The passion and dedication I've seen here are truly inspiring, and I'm here to work with the team to evolve PAYDAY in ways that surprise, delight, and reward our community.", said Jonas Skantz, General Manager of PAYDAY at Starbreeze.
Adolf Kristjansson, CEO of Starbreeze, commented;
"Jonas brings both strategic vision and hands-on leadership to the PAYDAY franchise. His understanding of games, players, and brand growth makes him an ideal fit to guide PAYDAY into its next chapter. We're thrilled to have him on board and confident that his leadership will help us deliver even greater experiences to our community."
For more information, please contact;
Adolf Kristjansson, CEO of Starbreeze
ir@starbreeze.com
Tel: +46 (0)8-209 229
About Starbreeze
Starbreeze is an independent developer, creator, publisher and distributor of PC and console targeting the global market, with studios in Stockholm, Barcelona, Paris and London. 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. For more information, please visit www.starbreeze.com.
