‘Payday 2’ More Popular Than Predicted, Retailers Sold Out

Payday 2 has become more popular than predicted. Retailers are sold out.

Payday 2 is the followup to Payday: The Heist, a criminal sandbox along the same lines as the classic Hitman, in which you figure out what tools you need (tools meaning weapons, mostly) to do your dirty deeds for not so dirt cheap. Killing civilians is frowned upon as you take hostages to ensure the success of your robbery, so firearms are most likely for intimidation and a last resort if things get out of hand.

The sequel adds more emphasis to stealth, and gunplay is made easier in case stealth doesn’t work. The fun comes from partnering up with either friends or complete strangers to pull off bank robberies and heists, and possibly even live out your fantasies after seeing Point Break one time too many. In a sea of controversy over violent video games, the crime-heavy elements of Payday 2 may make it a target for future politicians looking for an easy vote.

All speculation aside, Payday 2 has sold out quickly at retailers due to its publisher not foreseeing the demand for the game. Shortages have been reported to 505 Games, who is pushing to get more copies of it to the gamers who probably showed up at Walmart or Target hoping to get their first-person robbery on.

In response to gamers wondering why they can’t find the game anywhere, publisher 505 Games has stated on Twitter that Payday 2 is much more popular than they had planned for. The situation has been equally addressed on the official 505 Games page, “We are working hard to remedy this by shipping out more copies daily in order to ensure that store shelves are being re-stocked as quickly as possible.”

@Bmaines98 Payday 2 was a much more popular game than many retailers planned for. Reorders have been placed & we are making & shipping more.

— 505 Games (@505_Games) August 19, 2013

PC fans of Payday 2 can still download a copy through Steam if they don’t feel like waiting for their local retailer to stock their Xbox 360 or PS3 copy on the shelves. It will also be on Xbox Live Games on Demand August 23, and is already available on the PlayStation Network.

What do you think of Payday 2 being more popular than its publisher had predicted?