Payday 3, the latest entry in the cooperative heist shooter series, has struggled mightily since its rocky launch last year. But developer Starbreeze is endeavoring to revive the beleaguered game through an ambitious set of “Medic Bag” updates, with major matchmaking enhancements arriving soon.

One of Payday 3’s biggest shortcomings at launch was the lack of proper matchmaking options to quickly join games with other players. Initially, users had to manually browse available heists and lobbies, making it cumbersome to team up seamlessly.

That is finally being rectified, as Starbreeze has announced the next Payday 3 patch will introduce a basic quickplay system letting players select a difficulty and instantly match into a game. While rudimentary, it addresses one of the biggest pain points for the online co-op experience.

The developer promises a more robust quickplay overhaul is also in the works, complete with additional filters and parameters to cater matches to players’ preferences. Starbreeze is soliciting community feedback on desired quickplay features.

Another key online improvement coming is player merging functionality. Currently, teams disband after completing a single heist contract. But the new update will allow groups to stick together in the same lobby if they choose, making it easier to continue playing with a crew you mesh well with.

While Payday 3 still lacks essentials like the ability to browse all available servers or specify stealth vs. loud missions, these matchmaking upgrades are necessary steps as Starbreeze attempts an ambitious reclamation project many thought impossible.

The game’s dire state at launch, marred by bugs, missing features, and mistaken design decisions, seemed to seal its fate as another high-profile misfire. However, Starbreeze has re-assembled veteran developers into a “strike team” dedicated to resurrecting Payday 3 through major updates and overhauls.

The upcoming matchmaking enhancements are just the latest injections for the beleaguered heist shooter. While a full redemption remains an uphill battle, Payday 3 appears to be making slow, steady progress toward becoming the co-op experience its developers originally envisioned and fans deserve.

Tags: First-person shooter Multiplayer video game Overkill Software Payday 3 Plaion Prime Matter Role-playing game Starbreeze Studios Unreal Engine 4