Max Payne Remake Announced From Remedy Entertainment and Rockstar Games

Remedy Entertainment, original creators of the classic third-person shooter series Max Payne, has announced that they have entered an agreement with Rockstar Games to develop all-new remakes of the original Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne for next-gen systems and PC.

The announcement was made in a press release that announced that Remedy and Rockstar have agreed to a new publishing deal that will see the original studio behind the franchise return to the shadow-filled streets of the series once more to reimagine these classic titles for modern hardware. Remedy will be developing the remakes while Rockstar will provide funding. The budget for this remake project will be financed by Rockstar Games and “be in line with a typical Remedy AAA-game production.” The game is set to be in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. “We were thrilled when our long-time friends at Remedy approached us about remaking the original Max Payne games,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We are massive fans of the work the Remedy team has created over the years, and we can’t wait to play these new versions.”

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The press release also confirms that the remakes of these classic games will be released as a single title and will be using the Northlight Engine, the same engine that Remedy used on their last two titles, Quantum Break and Control and will also be used in their upcoming game Alan Wake 2. This will be the first Max Payne game to release since 2013’s Max Payne 3, which was developed by Rockstar Games and not Remedy. “Max Payne has always held a special place in the hearts of everyone at Remedy, and we know the millions of fans worldwide feel the same,” said Remedy CEO, Tero Virtala. “We’re hugely excited to be working with our partners at Rockstar Games once again for the chance to bring the story, action, and atmosphere of the original Max Payne games back to players in new ways.”

max-payne-2-video-game — Image via Rockstar Games

The original Max Payne was released in 2001 and was praised for its John Woo-inspired gameplay and stylish “bullet-time,” which saw time slow down as players leaped through the air to shoot at enemies. The game’s revenge-fueled story and writing were also praised, which was aided by its dark atmosphere and stylish presentation, all of which are still held in high regard today. The sequel, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, was released in 2003 before the series went on a nearly decade-long hiatus, returning in 2013 with the previously mentioned Rockstar-developed Max Payne 3. Rockstar Games published the console ports of the original game which led to their parent company, Take-Two Interactive, to purchase the rights to the Max Payne IP in late 2001, and Rockstar owns the rights to the series to this day.

The remakes for both Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne are currently in the concept development stage and do not have release dates or windows available. The games are set to release as a single title for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.