PAYDAY 2 To Feature Hardcore Heists For STX Entertainment's New Film "Hardcore Henry" As Part Of Innovative Studio Partnership With Pioneering Game Developer Starbreeze

BURBANK, Calif. and STOCKHOLM, March 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As STX Entertainment prepares for the release of its wildly original action film Hardcore Henry, the studio has partnered with independent game developer, creator and publisher Starbreeze, which will integrate an all new character from the film and two new heists into its award-winning and phenomenally popular game PAYDAY 2.

Starbreeze's successful PAYDAY franchise has more than 9 million active players worldwide.  The Hardcore Henry promotion began on March 24th with the availability of a Jimmy Character Pack and a special online trailer directed by Hardcore Henry's visionary filmmaker Ilya Naishuller. The integration will move into full gear on March 31 and will marry the best action, characters and content gamers love when Starbreeze and STX team up to release two new full-throttle Hardcore Heists, allowing for intense and immersive interplay between the game and the forthcoming motion picture.

The Jimmy Character Pack DLC is free for all PAYDAY 2 players and will welcome Hardcore Henry's mysterious and multi-talented character Jimmy to the game's gang of heisters. The Hardcore Heists DLC for PAYDAY 2, also available free to all players, contains two all-new heists – Hardcore: The Boiling Point Heist and Hardcore: The Murky Station Heist. Both content additions will be available for PAYDAY 2 players through Steam and other digital distribution channels. 

Also, for a limited time, customers that purchase Hardcore Henry movie tickets via Fandango or Movietickets.com will receive a code for a free download of PAYDAY 2 and the Hardcore DLCs. 

"It's been a long-time dream of mine to gain a great movie collaboration for PAYDAY 2 and have the director of the movie intimately involved in creating a live-action piece for the game. I'm so psyched to have Ilya direct our Payday-crew and introduce Jimmy in such a bombastic way," said Bo Andersson Klint, Starbreeze CEO. "We're ecstatic to be able to expand our entertainment industry cross collaborations with this STX Entertainment partnership." 

"Hardcore Henry and PAYDAY 2 are the perfect marriage of entertainment properties, and we hope that gamers join us on this amazing thrill ride," said Oren Aviv, President and Chief Content Officer of STX Entertainment.  

"Ilya Naishuller is a one-of-a-kind talent who has re-defined the way motion pictures are experienced, and we are thrilled to continue to break new ground with him in interweaving the movie and gaming worlds with this unique marketing program with Starbreeze," said Jack Pan, President of Marketing for the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group. 

ABOUT THE MOTION PICTURE - HARDCORE HENRY

Strap in. Hardcore Henry is an original film that was shot completely from the hero's perspective. You remember nothing. Mainly because you've just been brought back from the dead by your wife (Haley Bennett). She tells you that your name is Henry. Five minutes later, you are being shot at, your wife has been kidnapped, and you should probably go get her back. Who's got her? His name's Akan (Danila Kozlovsky); he's a powerful warlord with an army of mercenaries, and a plan for world domination. You're also in an unfamiliar city of Moscow, and everyone wants you dead. Everyone except for a mysterious British fellow called Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). He may be on your side, but you aren't sure. If you can survive the insanity, and solve the mystery, you might just discover your purpose and the truth behind your identity. Good luck, Henry. You're likely going to need it… 

Audiences discovered Hardcore Henry at last fall's Toronto International Film Festival, where it became an instant breakout sensation, and was recently selected as a Headline Premiere at the world-renowned SXSW Film Festival.  Hardcore Henry will be released nationwide on April 8, 2016.

The film is produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Ilya Naishuller, Inga Vainshtein Smith, Ekaterina Kononenko and written and directed by Ilya Naishuller. The cast includes Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Andrey Dementyev, Dasha Charusha, and Sveta Ustinova.

ABOUT THE HARDCORE HENRY DLC/PAYDAY2

Jimmy Character Pack DLC – FREE

• Jimmy - a new playable character brought to life in the new film by actor Sharlto Copley
• Heather Submachine Guns
• Ballistic Knives
• The Maniac Perk Deck
• Two Masks

The Hardcore Heists DLC - FREE

• Hardcore: The Boiling Point Heist
• Hardcore: The Murky Station Heist
• White Streak Pistol
• Electrical Brass Knuckles 
• Four Masks
• Four Patterns
• Four Materials
• Ten Achievements

For more information regarding the Hardcore Henry DLCs, please visit www.overkillsoftware.com/games/hardcorehenry

First launched in 2011, PAYDAY is a cooperative first-person shooter computer and video game franchise with more than 9 million players on PC, SteamOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

ABOUT STX ENTERTAINMENT

STX Entertainment is a fully-integrated global media company specializing in the production, marketing, and distribution of talent-driven motion picture, television and multimedia content. It is the first major entertainment and media company to be launched at this scale in Hollywood in more than twenty years.

STX Entertainment's motion picture division recently released their first three feature films, the critically-acclaimed box office success The Gift, the mystery thriller Secret in Their Eyes, and the horror film The Boy. Upcoming titles from the studio include the epic action-drama Free State of Jones; Hardcore Henry, an adrenaline-fueled action film; Desierto, a gripping and suspense-filled thriller; the interplanetary adventure The Space Between Us; the coming-of-age comedy The Edge of Seventeen; and the hilarious comedy Bad Moms. Additionally, STX has five films set to start production over the next 6 months.

For more information about STX Entertainment, please visit our website at www.stxentertainment.com

ABOUT STARBREEZE

Starbreeze AB is an independent creator, publisher and distributor of high quality entertainment products. With studios in Stockholm, Paris and Los Angeles, the company creates games by own design and through licensed content, aiming to create franchises that prosper as games and elsewhere. We live and die by gameplay.

Starbreeze's most recent games include PAYDAY 2, the adrenaline fueled bank robbing co-op game and the upcoming survival co-op FPS OVERKILL's The Walking Dead based on the hit comic series. Starbreeze is pioneering digital self-publishing, inviting developers to leverage its self-publishing knowhow on Steam, having one of the largest communities on the digital distribution platform.

Next, Starbreeze is set to develop truly immersive virtual reality experiences, integrating software and hardware in the Project StarVR and the StarVR head mounted display.

Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Starbreeze shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm First North Premier under the tickers STAR A and STAR B with the ISIN-codes SE0007158928 (A-share) and SE0005992831 (B-share). Remium Nordic is the company's Certified Adviser.

For further information:

Steve Elzer
Elzer & Associates on behalf of STX Entertainment
[email protected] 
(213) 607-3591

Maeva Sponbergs
Investor Relations & Corporate Communication
Starbreeze AB
Tel: +46(0)8-209 208
email: [email protected]

SOURCE STX Entertainment

Related Links

http://www.stxentertainment.com