Payday publisher Starbreeze has partnered with NBCUniversal to bring the crime capers to mobile.

Mobile FPS Payday: Crime War will be Starbreeze’s first foray onto mobile. The Swedish firm will handle development while NBCUniversal will manage publishing, marketing, user acquisition and general support work.

Starbreeze and NBCUniversal are long-time friends - the two companies began working together on The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay in 2004 and have reunited several times over the following 15 years.

“We have a longstanding relationship with Starbreeze,” said Universal president of games and digital platforms Chris Heatherly. “It made sense to work together on Payday.

“They have a strong franchise, huge user community, deep knowledge of gameplay, and we have mobile publishing capabilities, app store management, data, user acquisition, and success with mobile titles. It was a good fit for both sides.”

Crime doesn’t pay

Starbreeze has had a tough few months. After the less than stellar launch of Overkill’s The Walking Dead, the Swedish company lost its CEO and filed for reconstruction. But that wasn’t the worst of the company's woes.

In December, the Payday publisher faced criminal charges of its own. Starbreeze’s Stockholm offices were raided after allegations of insider trading, with one person was arrested.

This mobile partnership may be the start of Starbreeze's attempts to turn things around, starting with a franchise it knows tends to be a sure bet.