What is Telemetry in Payday 3?

What is Payday 3 telemetry? The game asks you whether you want to opt in or opt out of the feature the moment you start it up, but it's not clear what telemetry is and if any rational bank robber would want it. In fact, it's a pretty minor thing you're choosing that's mainly more about developer feedback and knowledge than anything that really affects the way you play the game. With that in mind, we'll explain telemetry in Payday 3 below, and what happens if you opt in.

Payday 3 telemetry explained

Telemetry in Payday 3 is simply when the developers, in this case Starbreeze, are able to document certain aspects and information of the way you play the game. Payday 3 isn't particularly clear about what it's capturing, but in a 2020 update for Payday 2, Starbreeze said telemetry "does NOT involve collecting or storing any personal information, but rather focuses on bulk data and big-picture playing patterns. We will track things such as which heists are the most played, average play session length, and the relative popularity of different weapons, perk decks and heisters."

Assuming that telemetry in Payday 3 works the same way, this suggests that it'll be simple gameplay trends and popularity of certain elements that'll be documented, rather than anything more specific to the player. However, if you're more careful about your data, which is more than fair, there doesn't appear to be any downside to opting out of telemetry, at least for you personally, though it's likely that choices about patches, nerfs, buffs and gameplay tweaks will likely be heavily informed and influenced by the data that's gathered this way - for example, if nobody's playing with a certain gun, it's likely to get a buff to make it more desirable.

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